• This initiative, funded by the Government of Navarra, proposes a specific physical exercise programme for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. 

The partners of the SENSORFIT-4HEART project met at Navarrabiomed to begin work on this project, whose aim is to create an innovative platform for prescribing and remote-monitoring individualised physical exercise in the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. The Principal Investigator of the Physical Exercise, Health and Quality of life Unit (E-FIT) of Navarrabiomed and full professor at UPNA Mikel Izquierdo and the UPNA associate professor Robinson Ramirez-Vélez are at the head of this strategic initiative funded by the Government of Navarra. 

Specifically, the Department of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition has granted 1,147,000 euros to SENSORFIT-4HEART, through the call for grants for the implementation of strategic R&D projects 2023 - Challenge 7 SIBERIA V Innovative Solutions in Biotechnology. The project consortium is made up of the biomedical research centre Navarrabiomed, which is coordinating its implementation, ADItech, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Naitec and the companies Lorpeland and 540. Together they form a comprehensive team of professionals from very different fields, who are going to work together to implement this project in order to develop a strategy that allows progress to be made towards the personalised treatment of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), using non-pharmacological strategies that focus on their capacity for self-management and on improving their quality of life.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex syndrome with an increasing incidence and poor prognosis, which already accounts for 50% of heart failure cases. This pathology is associated with ageing and cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity and is more common in women than in men. Sufferers often experience dyspnoea, debilitating fatigue, and poor quality of life, as well as frequent hospitalisations and a high mortality rate. Despite their great impact, most of the available pharmacological treatments for heart failure have not demonstrated a beneficial prognostic effect in patients with HFpEF. And although the syndrome is more common in women, they are typically under-represented in clinical trials and intervention studies. Therefore, SENSORFIT-4HEART will integrate the gender perspective throughout the implementation of the project in order to assess the incidence and impact on both sexes. 

The SENSORFIT-4HEART project will make it possible to implement an individualised physical exercise programme, two days a week, on HFpEF patients that will have a beneficial effect on their physical function and cardiac remodelling, as well as on muscular bioenergetics, functional capacity and quality of life. Furthermore, it is hoped it will contribute to the improvement of the prognosis of patients with HFpEF and to alleviate the burden this represents for the Navarra Health Service-Osasunbidea.