Oxford Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (OxAAA) Study
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In 2016 we secured funding for our public engagement with research activities and we completed the OxAAA survey Almost 300 patients/public and 300 vascular surgery professionals internationally took part in the survey! You can read the published papers here Patient Survey, Clinician Survey.
We successfully hosted the inaugural OxAAA Aneurysm Awareness Day! Check out the photos from our talks and interactive stations, and the NDS press release.
An aneurysm is present when an artery expands and becomes a "balloon" like structure. When left untreated, large aneurysms can burst suddenly and result in acute internal bleeding and subsequent mortality.
![Computerised tomography (CT) scan of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. [LEFT panel: two dimensional image of a abdomen cross section; RIGHT panel: three dimensional reconstruction of the image. The AAA is indicated by the yellow arrows] The blue arrow in the left panel shows the normal sized aorta.](https://www.nds.ox.ac.uk/images/research/oxford-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-study-oxaaa/responsive_image?ratio=image&scale=w760)
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The images are taken from an OxAAA participant
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common pathology which can result in rupture and high related mortality. It remains an important cause of death in developed countries. The pathophysiologic mechanisms governing AAA progression in humans is not fully understood. Currently, aneurysm size remains the best criteria for recommending surgery in large AAAs (>5.5cm). This has clear shortcomings, as aneurysm size is not an absolute predictor of aneurysm expansion and risk of rupture. There is a clear need to identify better substrates for risk stratification.
Systemic inflammation and associated abnormality of other vascular territories have been observed in AAA patients. Indeed it is increasingly recognised that vascular dysfunction is not limited to the AAA segment, but also present in the vessels elsewhere in the body. As the AAA progresses, it may lead to changes of proteins or metabolites found in blood circulation. These changes can now be studied in detail using a range of modern laboratory techniques.
The OxAAA study aims to improve our understanding of the underlying patho-physiology of aneurysm progression in humans by combining the information from comprehensive plasma molecular profiling and assessment of vascular tree by functional imaging. This will lead to identification of novel biomarkers of AAA progression and new risk stratification strategies for patients with AAAs.
Our latest publication highlights the role of FMD as a novel biomarker for AAA progression. We are seeking external collaborators to further validate the utility of this biomarker. Our protocols for FMD acquisition and analysis can be downloaded from these links.
OxAAA Team
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Ashok Handa
Professor of Vascular Surgery and Director of Teaching in Surgery
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Regent Lee
Professor of Interdisciplinary Innovations
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Pierfrancesco Lapolla Losasso
DPhil student and Clinical Research Fellow
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Jenny Buisan
Research Nurse
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Felicity Woodgate
Researcher
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Nicholas Killough
Researcher
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Katherine Hurst
Clinical Research Fellow and DPhil Candidate
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Matthew Williams
Preclinical FHS medical student
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Ed Sideso
Researcher
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Ioan Milosevic
Researcher
Clinicians of the Thames Valley Vascular Network
| Consultant Surgeons | Consultant Radiologists |
|---|---|
| Chris Darby | Susan Anthony |
| Ashok Handa | Mark Bratby |
| PJ Howard | Ali Husainy |
| Regent Lee | Rafiuddin Patel |
| Patrick Lintott | Charles Tapping |
| Tim Magee | Ramen Uberoi |
| Andrew Northeast | Andrew Wigham |
| Jeremy Perkins |
| Ed Sideso |
| Emma Wilton |
OxAAA Aneurysm Awareness Day 2016
The first ever OxAAA Aneurysm awareness day was held in May 2016 at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
More information on the day can be found at the links below:
Research opportunities
Interested in being part of the OxAAA research team? We have a range of research activities that are suited for people looking for either brief or long term research experience. Enquiries are welcome.
Want to be part of OxAAA?
The success of OxAAA study relies on the active involvement of patient volunteers. Healthy volunteers are also important to us. Please contact the OxAAA team to find out more if you are interested to take part.
OXAAA UPDATE
Read the OxAAA Update (PDF, 1 MB)
OXAAA NEWS
Read the first issue of the OxAAA Newsletter (PDF, 1 MB)
