Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or 1 in 6 deaths.

There are many common risk factors for both cardiovascular diseases and cancer .

The incidence of cancer among patients with cardiovascular disease is increasing annually, and is 13% higher compared to those without cardiovascular disease.

Focusing on
the emerging field of
Reverse
Cardio-Oncology

Reverse
Cardio-Oncology

Reverse Cardio-Oncology is a theory focusing on the risk of subsequent tumor development in patients with cardiovascular disease and the contribution of pre-existing cardiovascular disease to the tumor process.

Our team is developing a diagnostic aid for MI patients with the risk of getting cancer.

We chose miRNAs as our detection targets.
By conducting bioinformatics analysis and cell experiments, we identified miR-210-3p and miR-142-3p as target miRNAs.

To detect the two miRNAs simultaneously, we designed
the Double-arm LIRA System.

To verify the function of Double-arm LIRA, we insert LIRA, miR-210-3p and miR-142-3p into different plasmids respectively and transform them into E.coli to observe the expression of EGFP protein.

To simplify the detection procedure, we replace the reporter gene EGFP with LacZ and conduct detection in a cell-free system.

After 2h incubation, the reaction will be added to CPRG. If LIRA successfully recognizes and binds to the target miRNA, LacZ will be expressed, hydrolyze CPRG to CPR, and the color of the system will change from yellow to purple. Yellow indicates a negative result, and purple indicates a positive control.

In future, the realistic sample included miRNA will be added into our detect kit. The positive result warns patients to go to the hospital for further examination . For the patient who get negative result, they can take it easy.

Now that we've shared the design journey of Heartecho and our vision for the future, it's time to think about how we can contribute to the world.

We've put in significant effort to interview patients to meet real-world needs, including obtaining informed consent, securing necessary approvals , and conducting ethical and legal consultations.