Dr Charlie Scarff

Charlie was awarded a BHF Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship to study the structural basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an inherited heart disease. HCM affects more than 1 in 500 people and is the most common cause of heart failure in the young. Most people with the disease have mutations in either beta-cardiac myosin heavy chain or myosin-binding protein-c but it is not known how these mutations lead to disease. Charlie’s research team use an integrated structural biology approach, combining mass spectrometry, biochemical analysis, and cryo-electron microscopy to investigate this. This research will lead to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underpin inherited heart disease, paving the way to better therapies in the future.