The human heart comprises 4 chambers; two atria (on top) and two ventricles (at the bottom). The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber which needs to adapt to changing demands placed on the heart. Recent research has shown that certain genetic factors can influence how an individual’s heart will remodel, affecting susceptibility to hypertrophic heart disease later in life.

Understanding these genetic determinants could allow the earlier identification of people who may be at greater risk for unhealthy heart remodeling and inform early interventions to protect long-term cardiac health. This work has also highlighted genes that could potentially be linked to excessive thickening of the heart muscle that occurs in families—a disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.