Research

 

Prof Rakhit holds the position of Professor of Cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular Science at University College London. 
He has an active research programme as chief investigator, principal investigator and collaborator in a number of clinical and translational cardiovascular scientific studies. He has successfully supervised a number of research fellows in completing MD/PhD degrees at UCL. He was a member of the UCL Partners Cardiovascular Programme Board, UCL Cardiovascular Strategy Group and UCL NIHR BRC Cardiovascular Board. He acts as expert reviewer for a number of peer-reviewed journals and acts as associate editor of a number of journals. He has published over 150 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals.

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He is interested in the field of coronary artery disease and, specifically, the role of inflammation and platelet activation in causing damage to small blood vessels (microvasculature) during heart attack. He is also interested in coronary artery disease prevalence and progression in high risk patients. He has had successful on-going collaborations with the departments of haematology and metabolic medicine at the Royal Free Hospital and rheumatology at the Institute of Child Health. Currently he is  a Co-Investigator with the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for interventional and surgical science (WEISS) working with engineers at UCL in the development of a novel imaging catheter (photoacoustics) for coronary disease. He is also interested in the psychology of heart disease and, in particular, the relationship between emotional stress, behaviour and recovery from heart attack.

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Current Research Activity

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Biomarkers 

A flow cytometric and optical coherence analysis of the role of microparticles as determinants of plaque instability in acute coronary syndrome (FOAM study).

Proteomics approach to investigate microvascular obstruction in the setting of primary angioplasty for ST elevation MI; implications for left ventricular remodelling and recovery of function

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Coronary artery disease in high risk cohorts

HIV and coronary artery disease: deep cardiovascular phenotyping of patients with HIV according to duration and type of HAART therapy.

Diabetes: progression of atherosclerosis in asymptomatic diabetic subjects: Evaluation of the role of CT coronary angiography and novel bio-markers of endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation (PROCEED study

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Intracoronary Imaging

Optical coherence imaging of human atherosclerotic disease and histological imaging of vulnerable plaque.

Evaluation and application of photoacoustic imaging and pressure sensing to animal and human atherosclerotic disease.

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Clinical Trials

Principal investigator ARREST, Rapid NSTEMI, Senior RITA, PRIZE trials. PI European SCAD registry.