Introduction
Structural heart failure
The programme on Structural Heart Failure includes cardiomyopathies with thick heart HF (HF preserved ejection fraction, HFpEF and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) and thin heart HF (HFrEF and dilated cardiomyopathy). In heart failure research, both the thickand the thin heart are studied using innovative experimental approaches and unique, well-phenotyped clinical cohorts to unravel basic and clinical heart failure mechanisms with the aim of enhancing diagnosis and treatment. Thick heart research – studying left ventricular hypertrophy - has produced significant experimental outcomes and is about to go clinical (microRNA based). Thin heart research, i.e. on cardiomyopathies, has developed into a significant translational research line with branches in the areas of inflammatory and non-inflammatory and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathies. Above all, it is the basis for an established clinical treatment algorithm and a pivotal clinical trial.