Finerenone treatment in a mouse model of fibrotic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

PhD defence by Diana Sofia Usai

Assessment Committee

Professor Kirstine Callø, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen (Chairperson)
Dr Michael Nyberg, Novo Nordisk
Professor Dirk-Jan Duncker, Erasmus University

Supervisors

Associate Professor Morten Bækgaard Thomsen
Associate Professor Jens Christian Brings Jacobsen

Department

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Graduate Programme

Cardiovascular Research

Place

Building: Mærsk (Foredragssal), Mærsk tower, Panum, Room: 7.15.92, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N

Email address to gain access to the thesis: dianausai1@gmail.com.
You will either receive a copy of the thesis or be informed where you can read a physical copy.
Recipients of copies of the thesis are not allowed to share or distribute it due to copyright compliance.

Short description of the thesis

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a common form of heart failure for which effective treatments remain limited. Myocardial fibrosis, the accumulation of scar-like tissue in the heart, may contribute to impaired cardiac function, but its role as a treatment target remains incompletely understood. This PhD project focused on developing a mouse model of HFpEF with pronounced myocardial fibrosis and investigating whether finerenone, a drug that targets the mineralocorticoid receptor, could improve heart function and reduce fibrosis. Although finerenone showed no beneficial effects in the established fibrotic disease model, the work provides a platform for further research into the role of fibrosis in HFpEF and the development of more targeted treatments.