What is HERACLES?
The HERACLES Network conducts research on “essential hypertension: analysis of ion channels in arterial smooth muscle and their systematic use in therapies” (Hipertensión Esencial: Red de Análisis de Canales iónicos de la musculatura Lisa arterial y su Explotación terapéutica Sistemática). This cardiovascular research effort was initially financed as a network of groups in the 2003 FIS call for network proposals (G03/045) and achieved mention for excellence in 2006. The network was again funded in the 2006 competition of the Ministry of Health and Consumption (now the Ministry of Health, Social Policy, and Equality) through the Carlos III Institute of Health (Red HERACLES RD06/0009) for 2007-2012.
The HERACLES Network focuses on multidisciplinary (physiopathology, epidemiology, cardiology, neurology, population genetics, proteomics, molecular biology, cell physiology, bioinformatics and statistics) research on the mechanisms of essential (or primary) hypertension, with a particular interest in the regulation of arterial smooth muscle function by the ion channels and the consequences for the presentation of cardiovascular diseases. The network also studies the epidemiological aspects of blood pressure and of cardiovascular diseases, primarily myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular disease.
Collaborations between the HERACLES Network groups have crystallized into coordinated projects, patents, and high-impact journal articles. The MERCED clinical trial completed in August 2006, which contributed very useful information about the effect of raloxifene on endothelial function, and the PRO-CELL study, which is studying the role of circulating endothelial cells, are two examples of this multidisciplinary work.
The configuration of the HERACLES Network in the phase that began in 2007 was designed to strengthen the presence of groups with expertise in cell physiology, cardiovascular epidemiology, and population genetics; of new clinical groups; and of groups doing basic research in the area of endogenous regulation and vascular function pharmacology, which will facilitate the proper translation and transfer of knowledge.
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