The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director awarded a $257,116 Project Grant under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to Purdue University to conduct a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial evaluating the effects of home-based leg heat therapy on exercise capacity and quality of life in older women with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). The project aims to determine if daily application of customized water-circulating trousers can improve functional performance and quality of life over an 8-week period in this patient population. The study will also assess the underlying tissue-level mechanisms by which heat therapy affects muscle strength and exercise capacity. If successful, this novel, accessible heat therapy approach could provide a new non-invasive management option for HFPEF, which represents a significant unmet clinical need.