The Cardiometabolic Disease Group at HRI has published a much-needed review on models of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
HFpEF is the most common type of heart failure in the world, with a huge impact on mortality. There are currently no effective treatments for HFpEF. Patients diagnosed with HFpEF have a 2.1 year median survival rate, and 75 per cent die within five years of diagnosis.
“This type of heart failure represents the greatest unmet need in cardiovascular medicine,” says group leader and cardiologist Dr John O’Sullivan.
“We urgently need models that accurately replicate this terrible disease, to increase our fundamental understanding of the key mechanisms driving it. With this knowledge, we could open a pathway to discovering ways to treat HFpEF and thus save countless lives.”
The review, under lead researcher Gabrielle Fusco-Allison, examines historical models of heart failure that could be applied to advance understanding of HFpEF. The review also identifies a novel model that provides unparalleled insights into the pathology of HFpEF, discusses recent technological developments that have improved this model further, and explores ways in which it could accelerate novel therapeutic discovery.
Image: Dr John O'Sullivan, Cardiometabolic Disease Group Leader
