Strategic Plan 2022-2025

Since January 2015, under the supervision of its Director General, Dr. Valentín Fuster, the scientific activity of the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) has been organised in two overarching departments: Basic Research and Clinical Research, both of which are fully interconnected via three Research Areas:

• Vascular Physiopathology
• Myocardial Physiopathology
• Cellular and Developmental Biology

Now, in 2022, without changing the structure of these two departments, the CNIC plans various actions in the scientific area that will allow the CNIC’s consolidation as an international reference centre for translational research in the cardiovascular field and in the study and fostering of cardiovascular health, which is the main objective of the strategic plan of CNIC’s Severo Ochoa Project (2022-2025), awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the principal cause of death worldwide, and the exponential increase in the cost of treating CVD in its symptomatic phase places an insurmountable burden on patients, families, and health systems. In response to this challenge, the CNIC has defined three major goals: to increase the understanding of cardiovascular health, to improve disease prevention, and to generate treatment advances for the prevalent manifestations of CVD. These goals require mechanistic studies to gain insight into the molecular and cellular processes underlying disease, coupled to the translation of these findings into improvements in health promotion, diagnosis, and disease management.

To meet these challenges, the CNIC is moving from a research organization based on three broad research areas to one comprising seven highly focused and integrated programs:

1. Novel mechanisms of atherosclerosis

   Coordinated by José J. Fuster, with Valentín Fuster and Inés García-Lunar as Clinical Leaders, this programme has nine research groups, seven cardiologist scientists and three technical units.

   Its primary objective is translational research into new genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate the development of atherosclerosis.

   Its two main pillars are human studies on the development of subclinical atherosclerosis in the PESA Health cohort, led by Dr. Valentín Fuster, and experimental research into new regulatory mechanisms of atherosclerosis using cellular and animal models.

2. Myocardial homeostasis and cardiac injury

   Coordinated by Enrique Lara-Pezzi, with Borja Ibáñez as Clinical Leader, this programme has six basic research groups and seven cardiologist scientists.

   Its primary objective is to study the pathological mechanisms underlying different forms of cardiac injury, with a particular interest in diseases of genetic origin, and disease secondary to cancer treatment, as well as the development of diagnostic tools and specific therapies that are efficient in improving the treatment of these conditions. Both cellular and animal models (mainly murine and porcine) will be used and there will be clinical trials.

3. Cardiovascular regeneration

   Coordinated by Miguel Torres, this programme has eight basic research groups, and the primary objective of identifying endogenous mechanisms that stimulate the regenerative capacity of the heart and blood vessels, and application of the knowledge generated to develop therapies based on cardiovascular regeneration in the clinical context. Different strategies, animal and cellular models will be used as a first phase prior to future clinical trials.

4. Novel arrhythmogenic mechanisms

   Coordinated by Silvia Priori, with David Filgueiras-Rama as Clinical Leader, the core work of this programme includes three basic research groups, two clinical research cardiologists and two technical units.

   Its main objective is the study of structural and electrophysiological abnormalities in the heart that cause the pathological remodelling associated with the intracellular dysregulation of calcium in hereditary and acquired heart diseases. Research will cover genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms in cellular and animal models (murine and porcine) and clinical trials will be conducted.

5. Cardiovascular risk factors and brain function

   Coordinated by Mª Ángeles Moro, with Valentín Fuster and Rodrigo Fernández as Clinical Leaders, the programme comprises ten basic research groups and has four clinical cardiologist researchers.

   Its objective is to study the mechanisms involved in cognitive deterioration associated with cardiovascular disease and its cardiovascular risk factors, and apply the new knowledge generated to promote cardiovascular health and prevent cognitive deterioration with ageing. The programme will include cellular and animal models and well as human studies.

6. Cardiovascular Health Promotion

   Led by Rodrigo Fernández-Jiménez and Valentín Fuster, this transversal program includes research staff from different disciplines (cardiology, nutrition, physical activity, biology, education, biostatistics). Its objective is to deepen the knowledge of cardiovascular health and develop strategies for health promotion and cardiovascular prevention from early ages of life, which allow reducing in the future the burden of cardiovascular disease that affects our society.

7. Technology Development

   Led by Beatriz Álvarez Flores, it includes 11 technical units and its objective is to keep the CNIC at the forefront of cardiovascular health research through the development and application of cutting-edge biomedical technologies.

8. These programs span from basic research to advanced health-changing clinical trials and build on the CNIC’s deep-rooted and proven expertise in state-of-the-art technology, cellular and animal models, imaging modalities, and large-scale data gathering and analysis.

Technical Units

The Technical Units will continue to provide fundamental scientific services to the CNIC’s research laboratories and external users, as well as offering specialised training in the use of equipment and implementation of different techniques.

The CNIC currently has the following Technical Units, organised into three broad groups: OMICs (proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics), Imaging (microscopy and dynamic imaging, flow cytometry, and advanced imaging) and Models (transgenesis, viral vectors, and pluripotent cell technology) in addition to the Comparative Medicine Unit and the Clinical Trials Coordination Unit.