# Using Patient-Reported Outcomes, Inflammatory Profiles, and Cardiovascular Phenogroups to Expand the Definition of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $307,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT: ALONSO PROJECT
 Heart failure (HF) is a global health crisis that impacts 26 million adults worldwide. Ejection fraction (EF)
remains the predominant measure used to categorize patients with HF. Approximately half of those with HF
have an EF that is reduced to <50% (HFrEF) and half have an EF ≥50%, known as HF with preserved ejection
fraction (HFpEF). Patients with HFrEF have benefited from the numerous advances in HF treatment over the
last decade. These advances have failed to achieve similar results for patients with HFpEF in part because
HFpEF is a heterogeneous syndrome, and we have limited understanding of the HFpEF pathophysiology or
consensus on subphenotypes. Therefore, the objective of this proposal is to refine the subphenotypes of
heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) by assessing patient-reported outcomes,
cardiovascular (CV) variables, and cytokine profiles leading to personalized diagnostics and treatment
strategies for these patients. To achieve this objective, we will address the following specific aims: 1.
Quantify patient-reported outcomes and CV variables, 2. Evaluate and link patient-reported outcomes to
cytokine profiles, and 3. Examine stress-induced patterns in cytokine profiles. We will recruit 150 patients with
HFpEF from Nebraska Medicine to complete instruments measuring patient-reported symptoms and quality of
life, undergo cardiopulmonary exercise testing, provide plasma samples for cytokine profiling pre- and post-
cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and consent to access to their medical records for demographic, clinical, and
echocardiographic data extraction.
 By gaining a comprehensive understanding of HFpEF, we will be poised to substantially contribute to HF
research. This training and research project will provide preliminary data and skills to allow the project leader to
submit a competitive R01 to validate project findings and further evaluate the longitudinal patterns in HFpEF
subphenotypes. The long-term goals of this project are to provide the project leader with a strong foundation in
interdisciplinary team science, to develop knowledge in connecting biology with clinical research, and identify
objective measures reflective of patient-reported outcomes and inflammatory biomarkers of HFpEF at rest and
during provocative testing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10771698
- **Project number:** 1P20GM152326-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Windy Williams Alonso
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $307,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-01-01 → 2028-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10771698

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10771698, Using Patient-Reported Outcomes, Inflammatory Profiles, and Cardiovascular Phenogroups to Expand the Definition of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (1P20GM152326-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10771698. Licensed CC0.

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