Heart failure (HF) affects more than 64 million people worldwide and is a major cause of hospital admissions and premature death. Approximately 40% of HF patients also have type 2 diabetes, which doubles their risk of mortality.
In his research, called CURE-HF, Van der Meer proposes a new approach by developing small molecular inhibitors of a newly identified gene. Previous research in mice showed that inhibition of this gene restores energy balance and protects against diabetic heart failure.
Building on these insights, CURE-HF aims to design and optimize selective, safe, and synthetically accessible small molecules to inhibit the newly identified gene.
By addressing the energy deficit underlying diabetic heart failure, CURE-HF aims to provide a potentially disease-modifying small molecule therapy, reduce hospitalizations, and improve patient prognosis.
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded 136 researchers each with €150 000, supporting them in exploring how their scientific results can move towards practical application or early commercial use. The European Research Council (ERC), set up by the European Union in 2007, is Europe’s premier funding organisation for excellent frontier research.
