UT Southwestern researchers explore social disadvantage and heart failure

UT Southwestern researchers have contributed to a study identifying blood-protein patterns that could help scientists investigate the relationship between social disadvantage and heart failure.

The Dallas medical center highlighted the findings in its Oct. 1 research roundup. The paper was published Aug. 21 in Science Advances. UT Southwestern’s Amil Shah was its corresponding author; Victoria Lamberson and Tammy Leonard were also among the researchers.

The team analyzed stored samples and health records from 9,879 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study who initially had no heart failure. It compared thousands of blood-protein measurements with income, education and neighborhood disadvantage, then examined subsequent heart-failure hospitalizations.

Twelve proteins were associated with both social disadvantage and heart-failure risk in analyses of Black and white participants. The researchers reproduced key findings using data from 49,396 UK Biobank participants.

Genetic analyses also identified C1QTNF1 as a possible contributor to heart failure, making it a candidate for further investigation.

The authors emphasized that the study was observational and could not establish cause and effect. Income and education were self-reported, and factors such as health care access were not included in the social-disadvantage measure.

UT Southwestern said the findings could eventually inform work on blood-based risk markers and prevention targets. They remain research findings requiring further validation.

Sources

UT Southwestern research roundup, Oct. 1, 2026

Original Science Advances study by Ramonfaur and colleagues, Aug. 21, 2026