Home Investigators Publications News Events Leducq

Professor Paolo G. Camici

Contact

paolo.camici @ csc.mrc.ac.uk

Website

http://www.csc.mrc.ac.uk

Biography

Paolo Camici is Professor of Cardiovascular Pathophysiology [tenured chair funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC)] at Imperial College and Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, Hammersmith Hospital and Royal Brompton Hospital, in London. He is Head of Cardiology, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Hammersmith Hospital. His research interests include the physiology and pathophysiology of coronary macro- and micro-circulation, post-ischaemic heart failure and hibernation and nuclear cardiology (PET) and he has published widely on these topics. He is a fellow of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Cardiology and the Royal College of Physicians (London). He is on the editorial board of numerous international peer review journals.

Research Summary

We use imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) and cardiac magnetic imaging (CMR) to phenotype patients with cardiovascular diseases. In particular, we are interested in understanding the mechanism of whole body and myocardial insulin resistance in patients with heart failure as well as their relationship with coronary vascular abnormalities. Following individual characterization, we can proceed to obtain myocardial and skeletal muscle biopsies, guided by PET and MRI maps, during cardiac surgery. These biopsies are used for molecular studies on the relative pathways involved.

CMR cine stills (panels a and d), and late gadolinium enhancement images (panels b and e) of a lady with severe 3 vessel CAD and heart failure before bypass surgery. The inset (panel e) shows her preoperative PET scan where the numbers express segmental glucose utilization (segments >0.25 mmol/min/g are considered viable). Her post-operative CMR scan at 6 months is shown in panels c and f.

Publications

1. Uren NG, Melin JA, De Bruyne B, Wijns W, Baudhuin T, Camici PG: Relation between myocardial blood flow and the severity of coronary artery stenosis. New Engl J Med 1994; 330: 1782-1788.
2. Paternostro G, Camici PG, Lammerstma AA, Marinho N., Baliga RR, Koner JS, Radda GK, Ferrannini: Cardiac and skeletal muscle insulin resistance in patients with coronary heart disease: a study with positron emission tomography. J Clin Invest 1996; 98: 2094-2099.
3. Wijns W, Vatner SF, Camici PG: Hibernating myocardium. N Engl J Med 1998; 339:173-181.
4. Cecchi F, Gistri R, Olivotto I, Lorenzoni R, Chiriatti G, Camici PG: Impaired coronary microvascular function as an independent prognostic predictor in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In press, New Engl J Med 2003; 349:1027-35.
5. Camici PG, Crea F: Coronary microvascular dysfunction. New Engl J Med 2007; 356:830-40.

Last updated 10/19/2007.