Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded a $741,473 Project Grant to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Office of Research Administration on June 15, 2026, to support research on the mechanisms of diastolic dysfunction in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), UCLA will conduct comprehensive mechanistic investigations examining how altered nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) signaling impairs local cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signals, thereby contributing to calcium cycling abnormalities and myofilament dysfunction in HFpEF patients. The research will utilize advanced single-cell analysis techniques employing Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based reporters and sophisticated myofilament studies to evaluate signaling responses and functional contractile outcomes across molecular, cellular, and whole-heart levels.

The project, scheduled for completion on March 31, 2030, will be conducted at UCLA's Davis, California location and is expected to generate personalized treatment strategies accounting for sex-based differences in HFpEF pathophysiology, as the underlying mechanisms and disease severity manifestations differ between males and females across various disease models. This research directly supports NHLBI's mission to promote prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases through basic and translational science investigations.