Clin-STAR Awardee Spotlight
Anthony Peters, MD, MS
Assistant Professor
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Clin-STAR Aging Research Development and Training Grant – 2025
The relationship between the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is now understood as a systemic, multi-organ, geriatric syndrome. Patients with HFpEF have few treatment options and high rates of hospitalization and mortality. Our prior work has shown that a key mechanistic contributor to HFpEF is mitochondrial dysfunction (MITO-D) in peripheral skeletal muscle. The source of MITO-D is unknown, but recent evidence suggests it may be related to the systemic inflammatory and immunomodulatory cytokines expressed as part of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
This systemic SASP molecular signature has not yet been explored in human cohorts of patients with HFpEF. As a result, the significance and impact of SASP in patients with HFpEF remains unclear. To fill this critical evidence gap, we will examine a panel of targeted plasma SASP and related inflammatory proteins to identify specific protein biomarkers of HFpEF and determine their relationships with muscle MITO-D and exercise capacity.
Mentor
Dalane Kitzman, MD
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Research Interests: Cardiovascular Medicine, Geriatrics/Gerontology, Molecular Biology, Exercise Physiology
Age-related condition studied in research project:
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Impact of research project:
- Clinical
- Translation
Clin-STAR Grantee Interview
How did you first find out about Clin-STAR’s research development grant program?
I first found out about the Clin-STAR and this grant opportunity through my primary mentor, Dr. Dalane Kitzman, who has been actively engaged with Clin-STAR and a leader in the field of aging research.
What inspired you to pursue aging research and how does your perspective as a non-geriatrician specialist contribute to your research activity?
I was drawn to aging research through my clinical and research experiences working with patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Research over the past several decades has established HFpEF as a true geriatric condition, and accordingly, the study of healthy and pathophysiologic cardiovascular aging has become a cornerstone of my research program. My clinical experiences as an advanced heart failure cardiologist, caring for a wide variety of cardiomyopathy conditions, has directly informed the development of my current research projects and hypotheses.
In your view, what does Clin-STAR mean to the field and what does it mean for you to receive a Clin-STAR grant now?
Clin-STAR is incredibly important to the future of aging research. The program brings together stakeholders from the multiple critical fields contributing to aging research and supports high-impact research. For me, this pilot research and training grant provides a much-needed opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary aging research environment and perform studies that will hopefully produce impactful results and also support the beginning of my independent research career.
What’s exciting about your research’s potential impact to your career, field, and patients?
HFpEF is a complex, multi-organ disorder with contributions from aging, physical inactivity, and cardiometabolic dysfunction. Our overarching hypothesis in this proposal is that senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) will be significantly elevated in patients with HFpEF and will correlate with key markers of disease severity. If we prove this hypothesis, this will support SASP’s potential as a therapeutic drug target for patients with HFpEF, for whom there are currently limited therapies.
How do you plan to collaborate with your mentor or co-investigators on this project?
I will work alongside with my primary mentor, Dr. Dalane Kitzman, who conducted the landmark trials of exercise training in HFpEF that will provide the data and biospecimens for this analysis. We are collaborating closely with experts in several fields including exercise physiologists (Ben Nelson), molecular scientists (Tom Register), and biostatistical specialists (Kip Zimmerman).