Unlocking the Mysteries of Cardiovascular Disease: A Call for Collaborative Research

The Department of Biotechnology calls for collaboration among researchers and clinicians on projects exploring cardiovascular health. The initiative aims to improve understanding of heart functions and develop early risk assessment strategies. Recognizing varied contributors to CVD, the demand for advanced research on cardiovascular consequences is crucial.

The Department of Biotechnology is urging collaboration among researchers, scientists, and clinicians for multicentric projects centered on 'Cardiovascular health and diseases', part of its chronic and lifestyle disease program. The projects aim to deepen insight into cardiovascular complications and cardiac function, along with developing strategies for early risk assessment.

According to their Expression of Interest (EOI) document, recent studies of the Global Burden of Diseases from 1990 to 2019 rank cardiovascular disease as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India. While metabolic drivers are known contributors, economic, social, and environmental causes also influence the pathways leading to these diseases. In light of the post-COVID-19 impact on cardiac health, new biological models are needed for better understanding and prevention.

The Department is inviting EOIs from academic institutions to create collaborative projects studying areas like cardiovascular consequences of viral infections and models for cardiac function understanding and drug discovery. These projects will tackle Cardio-metabolic Health challenges, focus on high-risk populations, and aim for novel biomarker and predictive algorithm development for early detection and prevention.

(With inputs from agencies.)