Anna Pfenniger, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine
Research Program
- Associate Members
Cancer-Focused Research
With recent advances in cancer screening and treatment, the life expectancy of cancer survivors has been increasing. This has highlighted the need to focus not only on cancer recurrence, but also on the development of other diseases in this patient group. For instance, cardiovascular diseases account for the second most common cause of death in cancer survivors. Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia and leads to significant morbidity and mortality being a direct cause for strokes and heart failure. Importantly, a history of cancer is an independent risk factor for the development of atrial fibrillation. Both the cancer itself and therapies targeting the primary cancer are known to cause systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Our research focuses on better understanding the molecular mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, with a particular focus on the role of oxidative injury and vascular inflammation in the development of atrial fibrillation. By using gene therapy as a tool to decipher which signaling pathways are involved in this disease, we hope to not only provide a better understanding in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation, but also to allow the development of new therapeutic targets.