Project description
Adipose-heart communication in obesity
Obesity is a major risk of heart diseases, but how fat accumulation affects cardiovascular function remains poorly understood. The ERC-funded ADIPOhealth project will study the underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms through which dysfunctional adipose tissue, commonly known as body fat, leads to cardiometabolic impairment. It focuses on metabokines released by fat tissue, such as proteins, metabolites, microRNAs and extracellular vesicles that may alter heart metabolism and function. By combining multi-omics data, cellular models and mouse studies, the project aims to identify key molecules involved in this cross-talk, understand their role in heart disease. The goal is to explore new strategies to prevent or treat cardiometabolic disorders.
Objective
Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), primarily due to its disruption of heart metabolism and the alteration of crucial signaling pathways involved in maintaining cardiac function, including those regulating energy homeostasis, myocardial contractility, and stress response. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms for these effects remain poorly understood. Obesity leads to changes in the secretion, by adipose tissue (AT), of metabokines—proteins, peptides, metabolites, and extracellular vesicles (EVs)—that are critical for inter-organ communication and significantly affect heart function.
AT is a key endocrine organ involved in whole-body homeostasis, yet its impact on cardiac health is still not fully understood. We hypothesize that AT dysfunction is a key driver of heart disease through disrupted metabokine secretion. Our preliminary findings suggest that specific AT alterations profoundly affect heart metabolism and function. ADIPOhealth aims to advance our understanding of how AT controls cardiac function through the following objectives:
1. Identify novel metabokines (adipokines, metabolites, microproteins, microRNAs, and EVs) secreted by AT that contribute to the development of heart disease.
2. Discover novel metabokines that regulate cardiomyocyte metabolism using cellular models.
3. Investigate, in mouse models of AT-specific dysfunction, how cardiac function may be influenced by changes in metabokines.
4. Functionally characterize these metabokines in cell culture, mouse models, and human samples.
5. Develop therapeutic strategies targeting AT dysfunction and metabokine-induced cardiac damage.
By integrating multi-omics data from human and mouse studies, we aim to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which AT influences heart health. Our results not only will deepen our understanding of metabolic crosstalk between organs but will also identify new therapeutic targets to combat cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs).
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition obesity
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-SYG - HORIZON ERC Synergy Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-SyG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28029 Madrid
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.