Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Research
Professor Struthers has repeatedly spotted new therapeutic opportunities and conducted the initial “proof of concept” studies which, led to confirmation in larger trials. For example, he was the first to ever show that aldosterone blockade had beneficial cardiac effects in man on top of ACE inhibitors (Am J Card 1995, 76: 1259): those effects were to reduce both ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac sympathetic activity. The discovery helped lead to the RALES trial where spironolactone reduced mortality in heart failure (HF) by 30%. He also discovered other mechanisms contributing to aldosterone’s ability to increase cardiac deaths, i.e. it decreases endothelial nitric oxide, it decreases cardiac autonomic function and it increases plasma collagen markers (which are a good surrogate for myocardial fibrosis).
A second area where he made important original discoveries is B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). He wrote one of the two original studies published together in the Lancet (1993) which led to the use of plasma BNP levels to identify heart failure (HF). A later paper by him, also in the Lancet, confirmed this. BNP is now an integral part of all HF guidelines. Professor Struthers has now moved on to make original observations about BNP in a completely new (non HF) area. He has recently discovered that if an apparently healthy individual has a high BNP level, this often signifies that they have silent coronary artery disease (Heart 2006, 92: 487 and 916). This is a major finding as BNP screening could now be used to help identify those many apparently healthy middle aged individuals whose first ever manifestation of their previously silent coronary disease is sudden cardiac death.
A whole other area pioneered by him is allopurinol. He developed the novel idea that allopurinol could be “oxygen in a pill” because it inhibits an oxidase enzyme which normally “wastes” oxygen in ischaemic tissue. A recent Lancet paper (2010, 375: 2161 – 7) showing this could lead eventually to the use of allopurinol as an oxygen sparing agent in all ischaemic diseases. He had already unravelled the exact mechanism whereby allopurinol improves endothelial function by profoundly reducing vascular oxidative stress and not at all by decreasing uric acid. This was a much debated issue before his elegant paper in Circulation settled the issue.
Lastly, he had the original idea behind another paper of major therapeutic importance. In conjunction with Professor McMurdo, he showed that ACE inhibitors improve mobility in elderly, disabled, immobile patients, which should greatly improve the quality of life of many elderly patients. In fact, this paper won the Bruce P Squires award as one of the best in the year. If confirmed, ACE inhibitors could become the equivalent of “exercise in a pill” to the many elderly with limited mobility.
Teaching
He teaches Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics at both the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews Medical School.
Education/Academic qualification
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 1977
Bachelor of Science, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 1973
Keywords
- RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
- Cardiovascular
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Projects
Evaluation of the Clinical Efficacy of Texture Analysis in Myocardial Quantification
1/09/17 → 31/08/21
Project: Research
Allopurinol and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Ischaemic Heart Disease (Joint with Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Nottingham and University College London)
MacDonald, T., Mackenzie, I. & Struthers, A.
National Institute for Health Research
1/09/13 → 1/04/21
Project: Research
TICR Research: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Cardiovascular Disease
Anderson, A., Belch, J., Choy, A., Houston, G., Khan, F., Lang, C., Palmer, C. & Struthers, A.
The Institute of Cardiovascular Research
2/05/13 → 1/08/20
Project: Research
Research Output
A Randomised Controlled Trial of Dapagliflozin on Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in People with Type Two Diabetes: The DAPA-LVH Trial
Brown, A. J. M., Gandy, S., McCrimmon, R., Houston, J. G., Struthers, A. D. & Lang, C. C., 24 Jun 2020, In : European Heart Journal. p. 1-12 12 p., ehaa419.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
Dapagliflozin Versus Placebo on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Patients With Diabetes and Heart Failure: The REFORM Trial
Singh, J. S. S., Mordi, I. R., Vickneson, K., Fathi, A., Donnan, P. T., Mohan, M., Choy, A. M. J., Gandy, S., George, J., Khan, F., Pearson, E. R., Houston, J. G., Struthers, A. D. & Lang, C. C., 1 Jun 2020, In : Diabetes Care. 43, 6, p. 1356-1359 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
Effect of allopurinol on phosphocreatine recovery and muscle function in older people with impaired physical function: a randomised controlled trial
Witham, M. D., Clarke, C. L., Hutcheon, A., Gingles, C., Gandy, S., Priba, L., Nicholas, R. S., Cavin, I., Sumukadas, D., Struthers, A. D. & George, J., 21 Apr 2020, In : Age and Ageing. 8 p., afaa061.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
Reply
Gingles, C. R., Symon, R., Gandy, S. J., Struthers, A. D., Houston, G., MacDonald, T. M., Lang, C. C., Donnan, P. T. & George, J., 1 Jan 2020, In : Journal of Hypertension. 38, 1, p. 177-178 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter
Reply: Cardiovascular Benefits of Switching from Tobacco to Electronic Cigarettes
George, J., Hussain, M., Struthers, A., Donnan, P., Lang, C. & Khan, F., 7 Apr 2020, In : Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 75, 13, p. 1613-1614 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter
Prizes
Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science (FMedSci)
Struthers, Allan (Recipient), 2011
Prize: National/international honour
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE)
Struthers, Allan (Recipient), 2010
Prize: National/international honour
Activities
- 2 Participation in conference
British Geriatrics Society Spring Meeting
Allan D. Struthers (Participant)
2 Apr 2009
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
19th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society. Enhancing Individual, Family & Community Health
Allan D. Struthers (Participant)
2 Sep 2005
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
Press / Media
High Dose Allopurinol Reduces Left Ventricular Mass In Patients With Ischemic heart Disease
Sushma Rekhraj, Stephen J. Gandy, Benjamin Szwejkowski, Adnan Nadir, Awsan Noman, J. Graeme Houston, Chim C. Lang, Jacob George & Allan D. Struthers
5/03/13
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Blood tests pick up early 'silent' heart disease
Adnan Nadir, Sushma Rekhraj, Li Wei, Tiong Lim, John Davidson, Thomas M MacDonald, Chim C. Lang, Eleanor Dow & Allan D. Struthers
24/09/12
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research