Metabolite profiling in atrial fibrillation (AF)

Our objective in this study is to examine circulating metabolites related to the gut microbiome and possibly AF (gut-blood-atrial axis). We expect to be able to demonstrate a significant difference in circulating metabolites related to the gut microbiome in patients with AF compared to normal controls from the community, which will help us generate novel hypotheses on pathophysiological mechanisms of AF and identify targets for prevention. Our project combines the distinct research fields of AF epidemiology, metabolome phenotyping and gut microbiome assessment. We will use the synergies and share our expertise arising from our two groups with long-standing epidemiological expertise and existing AF cohorts (UKE), and the Functional Genomics Center of the University of Greifswald with ample experience in metabolome profiling of biofluids. In addition, we will tie in our currently ongoing project with partners from MDC Berlin on microbiome assessment.