The genomics of heart failure: design and rationale of the HERMES consortium

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epidemiology
• Cardiovascular Diseases

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a complex condition with significant morbidity and mortality.
• Understanding the genetic underpinnings of HF is crucial for developing effective treatments.
• Large-scale collaborative efforts are needed to unravel the genetic architecture of HF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify genetic determinants of heart failure (HF).
• To gain insights into causal pathways for HF and prioritize therapeutic targets.
• To develop genomic tools for HF risk prediction and patient stratification.

Main Methods:

• The HEart failure Molecular Epidemiology for Therapeutic targetS (HERMES) consortium.
• Inclusion of 51 studies across 11 countries.
• Genome-wide genotyping of 68,157 HF cases and 949,888 controls.
• Analysis of data collected from 1948 to present, with median follow-up of 2-116 months.

Main Results:

• Data from 51 studies encompassing 68,157 heart failure cases and 949,888 controls.
• Studies enrolled participants from 1948 to present, with varying follow-up durations.
• Predominantly male participants in HF cohorts (34-90%); mean age at diagnosis 54-84 years.
• Estimated 80% power to detect associations for common variants (OR ≥1.10) and low-frequency variants (OR ≥1.20).

Conclusions:

• HERMES is a global collaboration focused on the genetic basis of heart failure.
• The consortium aims to uncover genetic risk factors and causal pathways for HF.
• Genomic insights will aid in therapeutic target prioritization and clinical risk prediction.