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Dr Le Thu Thao

Dr Le Thu Thao

PhD​

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor

Profile

Asst Prof Le Thu Thao is a Senior Research Fellow at the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS) and an Assistant Professor in the Cardiovascular Sciences Academic Clinical Program at the Duke-NUS Medical School. Asst Prof Le’s research focuses on the application of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as a tool for deep imaging phenotyping of cardiovascular diseases. Her most outstanding research is her pivotal work in the application of bicycle exercise stress MRI. She has developed the first-in-the-world database of normal exercise capacity MRI values and extended work into patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart disease (EMPIRE Trial). Her work has now been internationally recognized and translated to routine clinical service at the National Heart Centre Singapore.

Education

• PhD, Nanyang Technological University, 2016

• MSc, Nanyang Technological University, 2006

• BEng, Nanyang Technological University, 2004

Professional Appointments and Committee Memberships

• Senior Research Fellow, National Heart Research Institute Singapore, NHCS

• Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Sciences ACP, Duke-NUS

• Member, Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance

Awards

• European Society of Cardiology, EuroCMR, Young Investigator Award Finalist, 2019

• Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Congress, 2nd Prize Oral Presentation, 2017

• Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Regional Travel Award, 2017

Research Interests

• Application of imaging for diagnosis and risk stratification of heart disease

• Cardiac remodeling

• Asian phenotype

Publications

• Echocardiographic Global Longitudinal Strain Is Associated With Myocardial Fibrosis and Predicts Outcomes in Aortic Stenosis. Le TT, Huang W, Singh GK, Toh DF, Ewe SH, Tang HC, Loo G, Bryant JA, Ang B, Tay EL, Soo WM, Yip JW, Oon YY, Gong L, Lunaria JB, Yong QW, Lee EM, Yeo PSD, Chai SC, Goh PP, Ling LF, Ong HY, Richards AM, Delgado V, Bax JJ, Ding ZP, Ling LH, Chin CWL. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2021;8:750016.

• The Application of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Systemic Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis. Tan W, Yao X, Le TT, Tan ACS, Cheung CY, Chin CWL, Schmetterer L, Chua J. Front Med (Lausanne). 2021;8:778330.

• The remodelling index risk stratifies patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy. Le TT, Lim V, Ibrahim R, Teo MT, Bryant J, Ang B, Su B, Aw TC, Lee CH, Bax J, Cook S, Chin CWL. Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2021 May 10;22(6):670-679. • Multiparametric exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease: the EMPIRE trial. Le TT, Ang BWY, Bryant JA, Chin CY, Yeo KK, Wong PEH, Ho KW, Tan JWC, Lee PT, Chin CWL, Cook SA. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2021 Mar 4;23(1):17.

• Choriocapillaris microvasculature dysfunction in systemic hypertension. Chua J, Le TT, Tan B, Ke M, Li C, Wong DWK, Tan ACS, Lamoureux E, Wong TY, Chin CWL, Schmetterer L. Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 25;11(1):4603.

• Generating wall shear stress for coronary artery in real-time using neural networks: Feasibility and initial results based on idealized models. Su B, Zhang JM, Zou H, Ghista D, Le TT, Chin C. Comput Biol Med. 2020 Nov;126:104038.

• Genetic Studies of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Singaporeans Identify Variants in TNNI3 and TNNT2 That Are Common in Chinese Patients. Pua CJ, Tham N, Chin CWL, Walsh R, Khor CC, Toepfer CN, Repetti GG, Garfinkel AC, Ewoldt JF, Cloonan P, Chen CS, Lim SQ, Cai J, Loo LY, Kong SC, Chiang CWK, Whiffin N, de Marvao A, Lio PM, Hii AA, Yang CX, Le TT, Bylstra Y, Lim WK, Teo JX, Padilha K, Silva GV, Pan B, Govind R, Buchan RJ, Barton PJR, Tan P, Foo R, Yip JWL, Wong RCC, Chan WX, Pereira AC, Tang HC, Jamuar SS, Ware JS, Seidman JG, Seidman CE, Cook SA. Circ Genom Precis Med. 2020 Oct;13(5):424-434.

• TGA With Interarterial Course and Athletes Heart: A Diagnostic Dilemma Answered by Stress CMR. Uy FMR, Lee PT, Foo JS, Le TT, Tan JL, Woon-Loong Chin C. JACC Case Rep. 2020 May;2(5):740-744. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2020.03.013. eCollection 2020 May.

• Effect of Myocardial Viability Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance on Survival in Patients With Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction. Yap J, Lim FY, Gao F, Wang SZ, Low SCS, Le TT, Tan RS. Circ Rep. 2020 May 13;2(6):306-313.

• Paradoxical Higher Myocardial Wall Stress and Increased Cardiac Remodeling Despite Lower Mass in Females. Phua AIH, Le TT, Tara SW, De Marvao A, Duan J, Toh DF, Ang B, Bryant JA, O'Regan DP, Cook SA, Chin CWL. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Feb 18;9(4):e014781.

• The application of exercise stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with suspected dilated cardiomyopathy. Le TT, Bryant JA, Ang BWY, Pua CJ, Su B, Ho PY, Lim S, Huang W, Lee PT, Tang HC, Chin CT, Tan BY, Cook SA, Chin CW. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2020 Feb 3;22(1):10.

• Impact of systemic vascular risk factors on the choriocapillaris using optical coherence tomography angiography in patients with systemic hypertension. Chua J, Chin CWL, Tan B, Wong SH, Devarajan K, Le TT, Ang M, Wong TY, Schmetterer L. Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 9;9(1):5819.

• Impact of hypertension on retinal capillary microvasculature using optical coherence tomographic angiography. Chua J, Chin CWL, Hong J, Chee ML, Le TT, Ting DSW, Wong TY, Schmetterer L. J Hypertens. 2019 Mar;37(3):572-580.

• Effects of left atrium on intraventricular flow in numerical simulations. Su B, Wang X, Kabinejadian F, Chin C, Le TT, Zhang JM. Comput Biol Med. 2019 Mar;106:46-53.

• High-Sensitivitycardiac Troponinsin Cardio-Healthy Subjects: A Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Aw TC, Huang WT, Le TT, Pua CJ, Ang B, Phua SK, Yeo KK, Cook SA, Chin CWL. Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 18;8(1):15409.

• Importance of Sex-Specific Regression Models to Estimate Synthetic Hematocrit and Extracellular Volume Fraction. Lim EH, Le TT, Bryant J, Chung YC, Su B, Gan J, Hausenloy DJ, Cook SA, Chin CWL. JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2018 Sep;11(9):1366-1367.

• Cardiac magnetic resonance T1 and extracellular volume mapping with motion correction and co-registration based on fast elastic image registration. Zhang S, Le TT, Kabus S, Su B, Hausenloy DJ, Cook SA, Chin CWL, Tan RS. MAGMA. 2018 Feb;31(1):115-129.

• Fractal analysis of left ventricular trabeculations is associated with impaired myocardial deformation in healthy Chinese. Cai J, Bryant JA, Le TT, Su B, de Marvao A, O'Regan DP, Cook SA, Chin CW. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2017 Dec 14;19(1):102.

• Novel Index of Maladaptive Myocardial Remodeling in Hypertension. Goh VJ, Le TT, Bryant J, Wong JI, Su B, Lee CH, Pua CJ, Sim CPY, Ang B, Aw TC, Cook SA, Chin CWL. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017 Sep;10(9).

• Computational medical imaging and hemodynamics framework for functional analysis and assessment of cardiovascular structures. Wong KK, Wang D, Ko JK, Mazumdar J, Le TT, Ghista D. Biomed Eng Online. 2017 Mar 21;16(1):35.

• Stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: current and future perspectives. Le TT, Huang W, Bryant JA, Cook SA, Chin CW. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2017 Mar;15(3):181-189. doi: 10.1080/14779072.2017.1296356. Epub 2017 Feb 25.

• HbH Constant Spring disease has lower serum ferritin relative to liver iron concentration (LIC): importance of LIC measurement and potential impact on serum ferritin thresholds for iron chelation. Ang AL, Le TT, Tan RS. Br J Haematol. 2017 Mar;176(6):986-988.

• Assessing exercise cardiac reserve using real-time cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Le TT, Bryant JA, Ting AE, Ho PY, Su B, Teo RC, Gan JS, Chung YC, O'Regan DP, Cook SA, Chin CW. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2017 Jan 23;19(1):7.

• Cardiovascular magnetic resonance reference ranges for the heart and aorta in Chinese at 3T. Le TT, Tan RS, De Deyn M, Goh EP, Han Y, Leong BR, Cook SA, Chin CW. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. 2016 Apr 12;18:21.

Research Trials

• Exercise-induced stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance for evaluation of chest pain (EXCEL), 2022 – 2025

• Exercise-induced stress CMR for detection of coronary artery disease (EMPIRE Trial), 2017 – 2022

• Quantification of Retinal and Choroidal Microvascular Parameters Using Wide-field Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography in Patients with Systemic Hypertension, 2018 – 2021