Global Research Initiative Launched to Address Women's Cardiovascular Health

In a significant move to address the underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular disease (CVD) research, an international alliance of 12 major cardiovascular research funders has announced a $10 million research challenge focused on women's cardiovascular health. The Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF), which includes the American Heart Association, is spearheading this initiative to foster global advancements in understanding and improving CVD outcomes for women.

The International Research Challenge on Women's Cardiovascular Health will fund one world-class research program over five years to study and identify solutions to unmet clinical needs. Key focus areas include risk factors and prevention of CVD across women's life stages, clinical diagnosis and treatment of conditions more prevalent or with worse outcomes among women, and sex-specific underlying mechanisms of CVD in women.

This initiative comes in response to a 2022 American Heart Association presidential advisory that highlighted the persistent underrepresentation of women in CVD research. The advisory emphasized that certain risk factors for heart disease are specific to women or carry different risks for CVD events in women compared to men, often related to life stages.

Dr. Mariell Jessup, Chief Science and Medical Officer of the American Heart Association, emphasized the importance of this collaborative effort, stating, "We are pleased to be joined by other like-minded organizations in making this commitment to address the significant gaps that remain in research, diagnosis and care for women everywhere as part of our mission to ensure equitable health to all people."

The research challenge is designed to support a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary research network, bringing together experts from around the world. This approach aims to deliver impacts in women's cardiovascular health that no single continent, country, or institution could achieve independently.

Dr. Gina Wei from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute highlighted the potential impact of this multi-country, multi-discipline, and multi-institutional emphasis. The initiative is expected to significantly advance understanding and improve outcomes in women's cardiovascular health globally.

Researchers interested in this groundbreaking opportunity are invited to submit letters of intent by January 15, 2025. The successful research program must demonstrate a clear path to impacting and improving patient outcomes, with research findings applicable to GCRFF member countries and potential for wider global application.

This initiative represents a major step forward in addressing the historical imbalance in cardiovascular research and could lead to significant improvements in women's heart health worldwide. By focusing on women-specific aspects of CVD, the research has the potential to uncover new insights, develop targeted treatments, and ultimately reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease among women globally.