In addition, the researchers explore and study possible therapeutic strategies in order to halt the active phase and the progression of disease, and hence to prevent potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and advanced heart failure in these patients. Ongoing research is translational and encompasses experimental and basic science aspects with the ultimate goal for harnessing knowledge from basic science to establish novel strategies for the diagnosis, risk stratification and clinical management of patients with ACM. Moreover, the researchers aim to understand the true impact of the underlying genotype as well as environmental factors, such as exercise, on the clinical phenotype of these patients.

The research group represents a translational extension of the Zurich Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) Program, which was initiated by Prof. Firat Duru and Prof. Corinna Brunckhorst (Director and Co-Director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at the University Heart Center Zurich) in 2011 in an attempt to increase overall understanding of this challenging and life-threatening disease. In early years, the research was solely clinical and single centric, but over the years, there has been increasing focus on understanding its underlying pathophysiology at a translational level. Moreover, the research group has established extensive collaboration with basic and clinical research science partners and institutions within Switzerland and from around the globe. The spectrum of research has also extended from ARVC-only to the broader group of patients with various forms of ACM and its overlapping syndromes.

Figure 1. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is increased by testosterone and decreased by estradiol in ARVC/D iPSC-CMs. (A) Representative images showing that testosterone (T) increased and estradiol (E2) decreased cardiomyocyte (CM) apoptosis (apoptosis shown by TUNEL+ staining in red). (B) Cumulative quantitative data of CM apoptosis. Cardiomyocyte lipid accumulation is increased by testosterone and decreased by estradiol in. (C) Representative images showing that testosterone (T) increased and estradiol (E2) decreased lipid accumulation (Nile Red-positive lipid droplets). (D) Cumulative quantitative data of CM lipogenesis.