Heart Failure and Transplantation

Coordinators: Aránzazu González Miqueo

Organization: Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada

Center: FUNDACION PARA LA INVESTIGACION MEDICA APLICADA

Julio Núñez Villota Organization: Fundación para la Investigación del Hospital Clínico de la Comunidad Valenciana (Fundación INCLIVA)

Center: INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION SANITARIA INCLIVA

As part of the scientific restructuring of CIBERCV, this program has been established to address the evolving demographic landscape and new cardiovascular realities in Spain.

Heart failure is a heterogeneous syndrome that represents the final stage of various pathophysiological conditions, predominantly affecting the elderly population. Despite substantial therapeutic advances over the past decades, significant challenges remain. These include the growing incidence of the syndrome; an increasingly complex patient population; marked deterioration in functional capacity and quality of life; high rates of morbidity and mortality; and uncertainties in the management of certain subgroups—such as patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and those with cardio-renal syndromes—as well as specific clinical scenarios like acute heart failure.

From this perspective, the program aims to foster synergies between clinical and translational research groups to advance the implementation of personalized medicine strategies in heart failure management.

The program’s strategic research lines focus on the following areas:

1) Identifying new pathophysiological mechanisms, with particular emphasis on patients with preserved ejection fraction.

2) Improving diagnosis and pathophysiological phenotyping of heart failure, through integration of clinical data, biomarkers, imaging techniques, and artificial intelligence tools.

3) Enhancing risk stratification and longitudinal monitoring of heart failure patients.

4) Developing more effective management strategies for different heart failure phenotypes, with deeper understanding of mechanisms of action, prioritizing a translational approach that includes clinical studies, in vitro experiments, and animal models.

5) Promoting independent clinical trials that address unmet needs in heart failure care, always prioritizing a phenotype-driven, personalized approach tailored to each patient or clinical scenario