Dr Kerstin Timm

I am now a Career Development Fellow at the Department of Pharmacology. Here, I procured a high resolution respirometer, the Oroboros O2k, with an Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award. My research is now focused on mitochondrial function in heart failure, and the role of cardioprotective drugs in this setting. 

Research project title: Cardioprotection in Doxorubicin-induced Heart Failure

Research summary:

Some chemotherapeutic agents, such as doxorubicin, have severe cardiotoxic side effects, which can lead to congestive heart failure in 5% of patients. There are currently no imaging techniques available to detect patients before the onset of functional decline and there are no specific cardio-protective drugs. My research focuses on both the early detection of cardiotoxicity using the novel metabolic imaging technique, hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the repurposing of existing drugs that target cardiac metabolism as potential cardio-protective therapy.

Biography:

As the number of cancer survivors increase, so do the unfortunate long-term side effects of chemotherapy. With my research, I hope to uncover imaging biomarkers that can identify early toxic changes to the heart in a preclinical setting. I furthermore hope to test existing drugs as cardioprotective agents in this setting, which could be repurposed in cancer patients to reduce the incidence of chemotherapy-induced heart failure.

I am excited to start my own independent research program as Career Development Fellow at the Department of Pharmacology. I hope to be able to secure an external Intermediate Level Fellowship in the next few years to drive my research in cardio-oncology forward. 

Degrees/Training:

DPhil in Biochemistry, University of Oxford

Veterinary Medicine (FU Berlin, Germany)

MRes “In vivo imaging in Biology and Medicine” (Cambridge)