The CHIP-Cardio project

This article is adapted from the fourth edition of the Foundation’s magazine

When research leads to changes in practice

Dr. Marie-Pierre Dubé is a researcher who specializes in analyzing genomic data. In collaboration with Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif and hematologist Dr. Lambert Busque, she’s been focusing on a highly fascinating genetic phenomenon that has immense potential for the healthcare sector. She was excited to share the details of this major scientific breakthrough pioneered by her team. It’s a project that gives us all a reason to be hopeful about the future.

What is CHIP?

We first asked Dr. Dubé to explain what CHIP means. “CHIP is a condition characterized by a genetic mutation of the blood cells. When we test for CHIP, we don’t study a person’s genetic makeup at birth—we measure the genetic mutations that have appeared in their blood cells over the course of their lifetime. We already know that these mutations sometimes lead to cancer. In fact, recent studies have shown that CHIP also increases the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and heart failure. CHIP is a new biomarker, a measurable biological characteristic that has the potential to revolutionize the way we predict and intervene in these diseases. We’re at the cutting edge of cardiology-related discoveries,” she said.

The potential to treat genetic mutations

The CHIP-Cardio research project focuses on studying these mutations. “Each cell in every organ contains DNA. Over our lives, this DNA undergoes minute mutations that can manifest in different ways, such as age spots. The CHIP phenomenon, which stands for clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, occurs when these mutations confer blood-producing cells with a proliferative advantage, leading to a clonal expansion of these mutant progeny cells. When you’re sick, your blood cells are in high demand—this is namely the case in situations of acute or chronic inflammation. What our work has revealed is that inflammation is at the core of a major vicious cycle: the greater the CHIP, the greater the inflammation, and vice versa. The CHIP-Cardio project aims to determine if the use of anti-inflammatory drugs can break this vicious cycle.”

The Pharmacogenomics Centre: Providing the means to achieve great things

As director of the Beaulieu-Saucier Pharmacogenomics Centre, Dr. Dubé is very aware of the exceptional resources the MHI has made available to the project team. “We’re fortunate to have highly effective tools that enabled us to quickly develop a high-precision technique to detect CHIP. In fact, the technique is so accurate that we can measure the condition’s changes over time. That’s what allowed us to study these mutations’ mechanisms of action and understand why and how they lead to heart disease. Thanks to the strength of the MHI when it comes to leading clinical studies, we’ll be able to evaluate if anti-inflammatory drugs affect the impact that CHIP has on these diseases,” she said.

CHIP-Cardio and precision medicine

The CHIP-Cardio project is part of the pioneering field of precision medicine, which aims to personalize treatment according to each individual’s genetic makeup. “CHIP-Cardio is the perfect embodiment of precision medicine because we can carry out tests that not only identify people with CHIP, but also what types of CHIP they have. Using this information, we’ll be able to adjust their treatment. With precision medicine, the patient receives drugs that are adapted to their genetic profile and specific situation. In other words, not all patients will receive the same medication. However, there are still many questions that remain unanswered, like the differences between men and women regarding CHIP and inflammation, the link between CHIP and neurocognitive disorders, and so on. There’s an entire world begging to be explored, and that’s extremely stimulating,” said Dr. Dubé.

Practical applications in the near future

Dr. Dubé and her colleagues are driven by the scientific discoveries related to this new biomarker and how they can be applied to the field. When we asked Dr. Dubé what the future has in store, she was extremely enthusiastic. “It’s very, very exciting. The applications will soon be tangible. We have all the resources necessary to have a major impact in the short run and develop technology we can make available throughout Quebec and even abroad. This biomarker makes anything possible. It’s a new source of information that we can use to treat the patient. The data has the potential to guide how medicine is practised.”

Current analytical methods are very demanding because everything is done manually. Scientists are still in the discovery phase, but that could change thanks to funding. “The technology is not yet automated. We want to make it functional and transpose it into an application that will allow us to innovate our medical ecosystem. This technology has the potential to be used on a very large scale, in hospitals and various medical settings. Having the financial resources we need will enable us to make scientific advances and increase our understanding of basic medicine. It will drive change in practices on a global scale. I believe this technology will become part of standard practice within a few years, and we’ll be proud of having pioneered this change. This is a project that will go down in history, and patients at the MHI will be able to benefit from the medical advances that will follow,” said Dr. Dubé.

Marie-Pierre’s heart

If Marie-Pierre’s heart could speak, here’s what it would say:

“Life is about contributing as much as you can. My personal ikigai is to contribute to medicine through scientific research. My heart says let’s
go, it’s worth it, carry on! And I’m surrounded by exceptional, hard-working team members. I’m very proud of the results. Seeing the progress is very stimulating.”