Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women worldwide, yet for decades, research and clinical practice have focused primarily on male biology. This has left critical gaps in our understanding of how cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects women – gaps that translate into inequities in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Female Heart programme aims to address these disparities, with the first initiatives – two open calls and four research grants – now underway.
Closing knowledge gaps
The two calls, open until 19 March, are designed to generate evidence that will inform clinical guidelines and ultimately improve care.
One call supports projects that explore the biological mechanisms underlying sex differences in CVD, while the second supports research that advances clinical understanding of those differences.
“All too often, symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women are ignored or labelled ‘atypical’, simply because they differ from men’s,” says Rasmus Borgquist, Director of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Foundation. “Through these open calls, we want to foster international research partnerships that can help close knowledge gaps and pave the way for more effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for women everywhere.”
‘Better treatment and better lives’
In addition to these calls, the Foundation has recently partnered with the Danish Heart Foundation to support four research projects in Denmark, with the aim of helping address major gaps in our understanding of CVD in women.
These four projects will help develop new knowledge on the links between genetics, small vessel disease and heart failure, on risk models for aortic aneurysms, on new hormone therapies to prevent preeclampsia, and on the need for different thresholds when treating heart disease in woman.
“The new research will result in more knowledge, better treatment, and better lives for the many women who today risk being overlooked or misunderstood in the healthcare system,” says Morten Ørsted-Rasmussen, CEO of the Danish Heart Foundation.
Driving change
These grants and calls are just the beginning for the Female Heart programme, which is part of the Foundation’s broader work on non-communicable diseases, primarily cardiometabolic diseases – a group of connected conditions including obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, and CVD.
These conditions and their complications are responsible for more than a third of global deaths and bending the curve will take more than scientific research alone.
For the Foundation’s work on women’s cardiovascular health through Female Heart, this means a focus on reducing inequities in cardiovascular care for women and ensuring that research findings can make a real-world impact. While plans are still being shaped, the ambition is to explore opportunities across several regions that promote access to prevention and treatment and foster collaboration across borders.
“Our goal with this programme is to trigger some small shifts in the research, clinical and healthcare landscape that may be catalysts for larger change on this neglected issue,” says Borgquist. “Together with others who share our vision, we want to help ensure that women’s cardiovascular health receives the attention and investment it deserves.”
The open calls
The Female Heart – Mechanistic Research Grants support projects that explore the biological mechanisms underlying sex differences in CVD. The call is open to main applicants based in the Nordics and co-applicants based in Europe.
Through the Female Heart – Clinical Research Grants, the Foundation will fund research that advances clinical understanding of sex-based and sex-specific differences in CVD. It is open to main applicants based in the Nordics and co-applicants from anywhere in the world.
