Myocarditis Center
The UCSF Myocarditis Center is a leading center for diagnosis, management, and research on patients with myocarditis. The Myocarditis Center at UCSF closely incorporates advanced cardiovascular specialties, including critical care cardiology, heart failure/transplant and cardiac electrophysiology, to provide comprehensive care for patients with myocarditis and other inflammatory cardiomyopathies.
These clinical efforts are in parallel with research programs that investigate the underlying mechanisms of myocarditis in hopes of better diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for our patients. The UCSF Myocarditis Center was founded on March 20, 2023, as part of the Section of Cardio-Oncology & Immunology by Dr. Javid Moslehi, William Grossman Distinguished Professor in Cardiology. The center includes a team of healthcare providers including physicians, nurses, and clinical coordinators as well as a basic and translational research team. Visit the Moslehi Lab website to read more about the Myocarditis Center's research efforts.
Myocarditis Research at UCSF
UCSF has established a center of excellence dedicated to myocarditis and other inflammatory cardiovascular diseases. Through systematic studies of patients, we collaborate with academic centers and industries to enhance diagnostic and treatment strategies. The ongoing research and collaborative efforts aim to advance our understanding and improve outcomes for patients facing myocarditis and related cardiovascular conditions.
Over the past year, we at UCSF have established an acute myocarditis diagnostic and treatment protocol standardizing approach to patient care.
The UCSF cardio-oncology team has been a pioneer in understanding the cardiac issues of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and other immunotherapies. We have both research and clinical areas of focus and have been leading an international effort to understand these toxicities better.
The Moslehi Lab research efforts include establishing mouse models that mimic myocarditis similar to what's observed in ICI-myocarditis. Through these models and innovative approaches, the team seeks to enhance our understanding of interactions between the cardiovascular and immune systems and cancer patients, with the goal of utilizing the immune system to address heart diseases. Find out more about the Moslehi Lab's efforts in myocarditis research.
Clinical areas of focus:
- 1) INFLAME Biorepository is one of our biobanks in which we gather biospecimens from individuals suspected or confirmed to have myocarditis, aiming to enhance our comprehension of the biological attributes of inflammatory heart conditions, including myocarditis, endocarditis, and pericarditis.
- 2) Through the Cardio-Oncology and Immunology Biorepository, we collect biospecimens and through this we want to understand the interconnection between cancer patients and heart disease. We aim to study cancer patients and survivors who either have heart disease or are at risk of developing it.
- 3) UCSF is actively engaged in an international collaboration known as the International ICI-Myocarditis Registry. This initiative involves the gathering of data from patients worldwide who are affected by ICI-Myocarditis. The primary objective of this registry is to gain deeper insights into the unique characteristics of individuals susceptible to this condition.