IN CONTROL II

Heart failure represents a significant healthcare challenge due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. Historically, the emphasis has been on heart failure with reduced ejection fraction characterized by left ventricular dilation. However, nearly half of heart failure patients involve diastolic dysfunction due to heart chamber stiffening, known as diastolic heart failure or HFpEF. The Focus Research conducted by our consortium indicates that impaired kidney function is an is a strong risk factor for HFpEF. Patients with chronic kidney disease are more prone to developing HFpEF and have higher mortality rates from associated complications. The specific mechanisms by which even slight declines in renal function worsen cardiovascular risk and impact the development and prognosis of HFpEF are not yet fully understood. Insights from RECONNECT highlight the pivotal role of systemic inflammation and microvasculature in this context. The Research RECONNEXT (Renal connection to microvascular disease and HFpEF: the next phase) is a multicenter consortium dedicated on advancing medical research on heart failure - particularly heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) - in relation to impaired kidney function. Specific pre-clinical and clinical research objectives have been defined: Identify renal drivers for HFpEF onset and progression in subgroups/clusters of HFpEF patients, taking patient-specific risk profiles into account. Deepen our understanding of the mechanistic pathways involved in the pathogenic cross-talk between renal drivers, systemic inflammation, microvasculature, and cardiac cells leading to HFpEF, using dedicated ex vivo bioassays to assess patient material and in vivo small and large animal models. Investigate the most promising therapeutic targets in newly developed and well-characterized state-of-the art rodent and porcine models of CKD-associated HFpEF, taking comorbidities into account. Investigate the most promising therapeutic, diagnostic and prognostic candidate(s) in well-defined patient-groups by taking a stratified approach. We expect that the results of this project will enhance our mechanistic insight in the renal drivers of HFpEF development and progression and will lead to the development of personalized diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic solutions for HFpEF patients. The origin The RECONNECT consortium has provided fundamental knowledge on the connection between chronic kidney disease and HFpEF and established a translational pipeline for the discovery and evaluation of potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. RECONNEXT builds upon the success of RECONNECT, established in 2015 (see Figure 1 below), supported by CardioVasculair Onderzoek Nederland (CVON) and the Dutch Heart Foundation. The RECONNEXT consortium consists of nephrologists, cardiologists, general practitioners, and scientists from five leading academic centers in the Netherlands (UMC Utrecht, Erasmus MC, UMC Groningen, Amsterdam UMC, Leiden University) renowned for their expertise in heart failure, vascular biology, and chronic kidney disease.    

A healthy lifestyle underlies adequate cardiovascular risk management. However, current initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle are only sparsely connected and often do not involve the patient's environment. To solve this, cardiologists, neurologists, general practitioners, scientists, entrepreneurs, and patients have united in the BENEFIT project. The research  Our mission is to make healthy living fun. Rather than telling people how to behave, we make healthy lifestyle choices appealing: the carrot is mightier than the stick. BENEFIT is an advanced loyalty program that rewards cardiovascular patients for the time and energy spent on healthy lifestyle activities. BENEFIT loyalty points can be earned for a range of health behaviors, such as exercising daily, abstaining from smoking, attending prevention programs, and showing up for health appointments. The BENEFIT program has different levels, ranging from a simple to use card-and-beacon system to an advanced digital platform that allows access to evidence-based lifestyle maintenance interventions, personal coaching, and smart technology. By rewarding everyday lifestyle and adherence behaviors, the program integrates care and non-care settings and facilitates embedding the new lifestyle in everyday life. Our goal is to create a national ecosystem in which evidence-based interventions to promote a healthy lifestyle are embedded in a system that rewards people for taking actions that contribute to such a healthy lifestyle. The central element of this ecosystem is a sophisticated loyalty program that encourages people to live healthy lifestyles for the long term. No more finger-pointing: the very act of rewarding a healthy lifestyle is stimulating! The ecosystem that we provide connects public and private parties, integrates existing care and lifestyle programs, has future-proof financing, and is constantly fed by scientific insights. BENEFIT for all! The origin The BENEFIT program is a public-private ecosystem in a national consortium, aiming to support patients with cardiovascular disease in their own home setting for a long-term healthy lifestyle. The Heart Foundation aims for more people to make healthy choices, so that they feel vital and run less risk of developing (again) cardiovascular diseases, which was one of the themes of the research agenda. Therefore, the Dutch Heart Foundation and ZonMw have collaborated to fund this program.