Understanding how metabolic alterations influence the development of heart failure has become one of the major current challenges in cardiovascular research. Alterations in cellular energy production, mitochondrial function, or metabolism-associated inflammation are emerging as key factors in the progression of this disease and could open the door to new therapeutic strategies.
To advance in this field, the European initiative EU-METAHEART, a COST Action funded by the European Union, promotes a scientific collaboration network connecting researchers from different countries and disciplines specializing in cardiomyocyte metabolism, immunometabolism, coronary vascular dysfunction, mechano-energetic uncoupling, and mitochondrial redox alterations.
Dr. Gemma Vilahur, head of the Molecular Pathology and Therapeutics of Atherothrombotic and Ischemic Diseases Group at the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) and group leader at CIBERCV (CB16/11/00411), has been appointed vice chair of this initiative, further strengthening the institute’s participation in one of the leading European collaborative platforms focused on metabolic alterations and the development of heart failure.
“Heart failure is an extremely complex disease in which metabolic alterations play an increasingly relevant role. Collaborating with European groups from different disciplines will allow us to deepen our understanding of its pathophysiology and move faster toward identifying new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies,” highlights Dr. Gemma Vilahur.
The initiative brings together basic and clinical researchers from multiple European countries and promotes a multidisciplinary approach combining basic research, omics technologies, advanced experimental models, imaging tools, and artificial intelligence to study the biological mechanisms involved in the disease. It also aims to connect preclinical research and clinical validation to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers applicable to patients with heart failure.
Heart failure represents one of the major current healthcare challenges in Europe. The disease affects up to 4% of the population and is associated with a high clinical and healthcare burden: around half of patients die within five years after diagnosis, and some studies place the average survival after a first hospitalization at around 2.5 years.
The risk of heart failure increases exponentially with age, and more than half of patients present seven or more associated comorbidities, reinforcing the need for comprehensive and multidisciplinary approaches to improve disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
“Heart failure is not just a heart problem. Understanding how the body manages energy and metabolism may open new opportunities to improve treatment for these patients,” explains Dr. Gemma Vilahur.
EU-METAHEART focuses on different metabolism-associated biological mechanisms involved in heart failure, ranging from alterations in cardiomyocyte metabolism and mitochondrial function to inflammatory and vascular processes associated with the disease. To achieve this, the initiative is structured into four major areas of work focused on cardiac metabolism, vascular alterations, immunometabolism, and mitochondrial oxidative stress.
In addition, the project is committed to advanced technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, single-cell sequencing, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, PET, and artificial intelligence to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. It also plans to create shared European platforms of experimental models and patient cohorts to accelerate the identification of biomarkers and new therapeutic targets.
The COST Action also promotes the creation of international collaboration networks, the harmonization of research methodologies, the training of young researchers, and the development of projects aimed at translating scientific findings into clinical practice.
Her appointment as vice chair represents recognition of Dr. Gemma Vilahur’s scientific career and international leadership in the field of cardiovascular and metabolic research. From this position, she participates in the scientific and strategic coordination of the initiative, as well as in promoting new international collaborations and joint projects among European groups, and in the training of young researchers.
“Being part of this European initiative and assuming the vice chair position represents an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration in a key field such as cardiovascular metabolism and its impact on the development of heart failure,” highlights Dr. Gemma Vilahur.
Through this participation, IR Sant Pau strengthens its presence in high-impact international scientific networks and consolidates its role in translational cardiovascular research aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.
