Pfizer Research and Development Collaboration (Fall 2023, Spring 2024)
The project with Pfizer centered on the evaluation of whether a particular finding in mammals held when considering mice. Left ventricular pressure-volume (PV) loop measurement provides insights into cardiac function by mapping the relationship between left ventricular pressure and volume throughout the cardiac cycle. PV loops are used extensively in pre-clinical studies, but they are obtained through invasive and often terminal procedures. In prior studies utilizing data from large mammals (e.g., pigs and humans), quantitative models have been utilized to estimate PV loops utilizing non-invasive measurements. These studies rely on three key assumptions: constant normalized elastance (ratio of pressure over volume) across individuals, accurate non-invasive estimation of left ventricular systolic and diastolic pressure, and non-invasive estimation of left ventricular volume data. In this project, students assessed the application and suitability of these approaches to mice, a smaller pre-clinical animal.
An NDA is in place with Pfizer; therefore, we do not share any presentations from the initial projects. However, the results of this analysis were published in the following report:
Reyes, L.J., Alfaro, M.E., Kireta, J.A. et al. Assessment of a non-invasive approach for pressure volume loop prediction in mice. Sci Rep 15, 18216 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00691-2