After the French ethics committee approval, the SHiVA cohort initiation visit held last week at the CHU de Bordeaux with the members actively involved in the study.
This SHIVA cohort aims to explore the relation of brain and retinal microvasculature image characteristics (imaging biomarkers), as well as molecular biomarkers derived from blood, with presence or absence of extensive cSVD and with cognitive and other clinical characteristics in two groups of 200 patients 60+ years of age:
This will create a unique deeply characterized resource for epidemiological and mechanistic investigations of cSVD, which can also serve as a pilot setting to test the trajectories and requirements for individualized patient care of cSVD patients.
Prof. Stéphanie Debette
This cohort will last 5 years: the 400 patients will be included over the next 2 years and followed for 3 years in the study.
The combination of retinal microvascular measurements using innovative multimodal imaging is entirely novel to our knowledge. In the context of the RHU SHIVA program, the same retinal microvascular imaging protocol will be implemented in 400 young adults, which will provide insight into trajectories of these retinal biomarkers across the adult lifespan).
For the molecular biomarkers, the SHIVA cohort will focus in particular on validation of genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic biomarkers for cSVD identified through secondary use of large existing cohort studies in the general population, in persons with memory complaints, and in collaboration with other cohorts with the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium, also as part of the RHU SHIVA program.
The first patients can now be included in Bordeaux! The site initiation visit of the Paris participating site will follow very soon!