Past Seminars 2026

"Contemporary Topics in Degenerative Spine Disease: Modic Changes, Cervical Compensation and Automated Imaging"
Department Spine Surgery, Schulthess Clinic Zurich

"Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a holistic approach to define a natural animal model of a frequent human condition" 
given by the Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich

 1) Clinical challenges of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Presenters: Marco Baron Toaldo, Sonja Fonfara
This presentation addressed the challenges veterinary cardiologists face when evaluating feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). It highlighted the variability in disease phenotypes and progression in cats, which is similar to humans, and emphasized the difficulties associated with interpreting clinical presentation and the diagnostic of choice, echocardiograms.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging can overcome some limitations of echocardiography, allowing the identification of myocardial structural changes, such as interstitial and replacement fibrosis, and myofiber disarray. However, repeatability of this technique is still highly variable in feline cardiology, and further research is required for its use as a clinical diagnostic tool. Treatment of feline HCM is mainly focused on minimizing clinical signs related to adverse events, such as congestive heart failure and arterial thromboembolism, and to improving survival. Diuretics, antithrombotic and anticoagulative drugs, beta-blockers and phosphodiesterase inhibitors are possible treatment strategies proven to improve clinical outcome in cats. Recent studies addressed the pathogenic mechanism responsible for the disease, like myocardial hypertrophy and sarcomeric hypercontractility, as a target for more precise treatment. These have the potential to improve the patients’ quality of life.
 
2) Deciphering feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy through histology including morphometry, and 3D analysis
Presenters: Anja Kipar, Francesco Prisco
This presentation focused on morphology-based insights into the pathomechanisms of feline HCM, combining conventional histology with advanced morphometric and three-dimensional analyses. It provided an overview of the key histopathological features characteristic of feline HCM, including myocardial architectural changes, interstitial alterations, and microvascular modifications. The talk elucidated how these structural findings contribute to understanding the complex pathomechanisms underlying the cardiac condition.

Advanced imaging and morphometric analysis results were presented to illustrate the spatial relationships and three-dimensional organization of the changes within the myocardium. The presentation highlighted the value of combining traditional histological evaluation with modern quantitative approaches to gain deeper insights into the pathomechanisms, tissue remodeling processes, and the relevance of feline HCM as a translational model for human cardiomyopathy research.

3) From gene expression to disease mechanisms: molecular biology of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Presenters: Sonja Fonfara, Francesco Prisco
This presentation explored the molecular mechanisms driving feline HCM through gene expression analysis and related pathway enrichment analysis. It summarized current knowledge, highlighting how age, sex, disease stage and systemic conditions influence myocardial gene expression, molecular pathways and microRNA profiles, identifying cardiac region-specific differences and complementing the structural observations from histological studies.

This integrated molecular approach underscored the value of feline HCM as a translational model, bridging gene expression changes with structural alterations to advance understanding of cardiomyopathy pathogenesis in both cats and humans.
 
4) Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as translational model.
Marco Baron Toaldo, Sonja Fonfara, Anja Kipar, Francesco Prisco
The last presentation provided an overview of experimental models of HCM. The focus was mainly on genetic causes, and rodent (in particular, mouse models), have been used most frequently. During the last 15 years, cell models, and in particular hiPSC models have been used with increasing frequency, representing a suitable in vitro alternative for experimental animals. The cat represents a natural disease model that has been used effectively for drug testing.

The presentation then focused on a comparative approach to genetic causes and comorbidities, pathophysiological mechanism that can be targeted by specific treatments, and to the pathomorphological aspects of human and feline HCM. Trials with several compounds have shown how similar treatments can positively affect disease progression and impact quality of life and prognosis in both humans and feline patients. This provides abundant facts to show that feline and human HCM are suitable natural models for one other, also helping one other to develop improved treatment options.

"Guest Lecture"
given by the Office for Animal Welfare and 3R, University of Zurich