EUropean network to tackle METAbolic alterations in HEART failure

The COST Action “EUropean network to tackle METAbolic alterations in HEART failure” (EU-METAHEART) will bring together excellent researchers from Europe to contribute a broad spectrum of scientific expertise, cutting-edge technologies, scientific exchange and education to foster breakthrough science that moves the field forward towards improving the treatment of patients with heart failure. By sharing diverse expertise that cover not only conventional analyses of metabolism and mitochondrial function, but also omics-based approaches towards genetics, epigenetics and metabolism and in particular, integrated assessment of excitation-contraction coupling with mitochondrial redox control and energetics, as well as advanced in vivo imaging technologies, the novelty of this COST Action is that it will allow to develop a comprehensive and cutting-edge approach towards deeper understanding of metabolic dysfunction in HF.

We have identified four scientific key areas to which metabolic or mitochondrial dysfunction are central, which will be addressed by four working groups (WGs):
1) Impact of metabolic disorders on substrate and intermediary metabolism in cardiac myocytes
2) Metabolic aspects of vascular dysfunction
3) Immunometabolism: how metabolic alterations control inflammation and vice versa
4) Mechano-energetic uncoupling and mitochondrial redox alterations

These research areas are tightly intertwined and can hardly be investigated in isolation (from each other). Therefore, EU-METAHEART will employ an integrative approach to bring all these research fields under one umbrella.

The working groups focus on their respective four topics but benefit from the expertise in the respective other WGs to overcome scientific and methodological boundaries and rapidly move the field forward towards drug development.