Research

Clinical trials in cardiovascular disease and diabetes

Professor John McMurray's research focuses on testing new treatments in patients with various types of heart diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease.  This usually involves large studies involving substantial numbers of patients and investigators in many different countries.  The aim is to advance the management of some of the most common, disabling and deadly diseases facing the developed world today.

McMurray is actively involved in the design and conduct of trials (choice of patient populations, endpoints, treatment comparators), development of protocols and case-report forms and adjudication of events.  He is or has been involved in many trial Steering Committees, Endpoint Committees and Data Safety Monitoring Boards.  Often clinical trial questions (and methods) are informed by prior epidemiological research and analyses of earlier trials which he also spends a lot of time doing.  Interpretation of the results of trials may be aided by measurement and analysis of biomarkers and Professor Naveed Sattar’s group provides these services.  Excellent biostatistical expertise is provided by Professor Ian Ford and colleagues at the Robertson centre in the University.  Successful trials showing a clinically significant benefit of treatment for important diseases lead to modification of clinical guidelines, several of which he has also helped develop.

Publications

1. Schwartz GG, Olsson AG, Abt M, Ballantyne CM, Barter PJ, Brumm J, Chaitman BR, Holme IM, Kallend D, Leiter LA, Leitersdorf E, McMurray JJ, Mundl H, Nicholls SJ, Shah PK, Tardif JC, Wright RS; the dal-OUTCOMES Investigators. Effects of Dalcetrapib in Patients with a Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print]
2. Parving HH, Brenner BM, McMurray JJ, de Zeeuw D, Haffner SM, Solomon SD, Chaturvedi N, Persson F, Desai AS, Nicolaides M, Richard A, Xiang Z, Brunel P, Pfeffer MA; the ALTITUDE Investigators. Cardiorenal End Points in a Trial of Aliskiren for Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2012 Nov 3. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Pocock SJ, Ariti CA, McMurray JJ, Maggioni A, Køber L, Squire IB, Swedberg K, Dobson J, Poppe KK, Whalley GA, Doughty RN; on behalf of the Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC). Predicting survival in heart failure: a risk score based on 39 372 patients from 30 studies. Eur Heart J. 2012 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]
4. Rogers JK, McMurray JJ, Pocock SJ, Zannad F, Krum H, van Veldhuisen DJ, Swedberg K, Shi H, Vincent J, Pitt B. Eplerenone in patients with systolic heart failure and mild symptoms: analysis of repeat hospitalizations. Circulation 2012; 126: 2317-23.
5. Lopes RD, Al-Khatib SM, Wallentin L, Yang H, Ansell J, Bahit MC, De Caterina R, Dorian P, Easton JD, Erol C, Ezekowitz JA, Gersh BJ, Granger CB, Hohnloser SH, Horowitz J, Hylek EM, McMurray JJ, Mohan P, Vinereanu D, Alexander JH. Efficacy and safety of apixaban compared with warfarin according to patient risk of stroke and of bleeding in atrial fibrillation: a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2012: S0140-6736; 60986-6.
6. Rahimi K, Bhala N, Kamphuisen P, Emberson J, Biere-Rafi S, Krane V, Robertson M, Wikstrand J, McMurray J. Effect of Statins on Venous Thromboembolic Events: A Meta-analysis of Published and Unpublished Evidence from Randomised Controlled Trials. PLoS Med 2012; 9: e1001310.
7. Solomon SD, Zile M, Pieske B, Voors A, Shah A, Kraigher-Krainer E, Shi V, Bransford T, Takeuchi M, Gong J, Lefkowitz M, Packer M, McMurray JJ; Prospective comparison of ARNI with ARB on Management Of heart failUre with preserved ejectioN fracTion (PARAMOUNT) Investigators. The angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a phase 2 double-blind randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2012; 380: 1387-95.
8. Anker SD, McMurray JJ. Time to move on from 'time-to-first': should all events be included in the analysis of clinical trials? Eur Heart J 2012 Aug 27. [Epub ahead of print]
9. Felker GM, Hasselblad V, Tang WH, Hernandez AF, Armstrong PW, Fonarow GC, Voors AA, Metra M, McMurray JJ, Butler J, Heizer GM, Dickstein K, Massie BM, Atar D, Troughton RW, Anker SD, Califf RM, Starling RC, O'Connor CM. Troponin I in acute decompensated heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF study. Eur J Heart Fail 2012; 14: 1257-64.
10. McMurray JJ, Adamopoulos S, Anker SD, Auricchio A, Böhm M, Dickstein K, Falk V, Filippatos G, Fonseca C, Gomez-Sanchez MA, Jaarsma T, Køber L, Lip GY, Maggioni AP, Parkhomenko A, Pieske BM, Popescu BA, Rønnevik PK, Rutten FH, Schwitter J, Seferovic P, Stepinska J, Trindade PT, Voors AA, Zannad F, Zeiher A; ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines. ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2012: The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure 2012 of the European Society of Cardiology. Developed in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. Eur Heart J 2012; 33: 1787-847.