Federal Project Grant Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University a $743,696 Project Grant effective July 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). This grant supports a multidisciplinary research initiative investigating atrial fibrillation (AF) among hematologic malignancy patients undergoing Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKI) therapy. The research team, spanning five leading healthcare systems (Stanford University, UC San Diego, City of Hope, Wake Forest University, and Mayo Clinic), comprises experts in cardiology, oncology, and machine learning tasked with prospectively characterizing the incidence and burden of AF in this patient population.

The primary deliverables include prospective characterization of AF incidence and arrhythmia burden in BTKI-treated patients, and development of BTKI-specific AF risk prediction scores to improve identification of at-risk individuals. Current clinical understanding of BTKI-associated AF is limited by reliance on symptomatic episodes documented during trials, which underestimate true disease burden; comprehensive arrhythmia burden metrics have not been prospectively evaluated. This research addresses a critical clinical need, as AF-related treatment interruptions occur in up to 78% of BTKI-treated patients and increase risks of thromboembolic and bleeding complications. The project will generate evidence-based risk stratification tools designed specifically for this patient population, improving clinical decision-making and treatment continuity for cancer patients receiving BTKI therapy.