Heart Failure: All Cells Considered - ABSTRACT
Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia conference entitled Heart Failure: All Cells Considered,
organized by Drs. Merry Lindsey, Crystal Ripplinger and Zamaneh Kassiri. The conference will be held in
Santa Fe, New Mexico from June 25 - 28, 2023.
Heart failure has conventionally been defined as the inability of the heart to pump sufficiently to meet the needs
of the body for oxygen. Understanding the cell signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms that trigger
heart failure is a major challenge in cardiovascular medicine. Consequently, there is a strong need to better
understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the development of heart failure. This conference
program will address knowledge gaps to illuminate processes such as cardiac remodeling, inflammation,
fibrosis, and cell heterogeneity. Invited speakers will share results from their current research and disseminate
new knowledge about heart failure with a focus on cell and molecular signaling. The program also includes
sessions on the current limitations in therapeutic translation, as well as cell to cell crosstalk. Moreover, there
exists significant sex differences in prevalence, presentation, and treatment of both heart failure with reduced
ejection fraction (HFrEF) and those with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Sex differences and racial and
ethnic disparities will be further explored through a health disparities workshop. Finally, this conference will be
paired with the Keystone Symposia conference on Pulmonary Hypertension: State of the Art and Therapeutic
Opportunities. This pairing will cover important subjects of scientific interest to both fields, such as the
intersection between myocardial metabolism and genetics. Participants of both conferences will be able to
network and interact through shared mealtimes, poster sessions, and workshops. Overall, attendees will leave
this conference with clear ideas on the most critical experiments needed to accelerate the field forward.