Grant: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Diseases of the brain/mind system (e.g., neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular, mental health conditions) and the cardiovascular system (e.g., coronary disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation), exceeds all other in the share of disease burden and mortality worldwide. In Canada, the economic burden of heart disease, stroke and dementia alone is >$55billion per year with the continued rise in these conditions set to overwhelm our healthcare budget (>$20B in annual healthcare costs). Indeed, brain-heart (B-H) conditions have been a major contributing factor to the pandemic-related excess burden that has brought Canada's healthcare system to a crisis point. The brain and heart are profoundly interlinked in health and disease. In the disease setting, they are mutual risk factors with their frequent co-occurrence associated with particularly poor outcomes, magnified by the biological fate and social inequities. Yet B-H diseases are currently siloed in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research. The Brain-Heart Interconnectome (BHI) will be the first dedicated interdisciplinary research program to study, prevent and treat co-occurring B-H disorders. We will deliver: 1) Biomarker and imaging tools for early diagnosis, risk prediction and intervention. 2) Biopharmaceutical interventions to treat B-H disease co-occurrence. 3) Lifestyle, non-pharmaceutical and cultural interventions to treat, prevent and build resilience. 4) Prevention and treatment strategies targeted to marginalized, Indigenous and ethnic high-risk communities. 5) Transformational patient-led care models in a learning health system. We will train the first generation of research leaders in interconnectome science and brain-heart integration, leading the way with novel integrated knowledge translation and EDI-embedded approaches to research. The BHI will be recognized globally for the Brain-Heart Collaborative Portal, facilitating big data collaboration, up to date information and tools for health professionals and patients. These contribute to a Canada-first Brain-Heart Health Action Plan. BHI unites long-standing areas of priority and excellence from uOttawa, McGill and uSaskatchewan. With CFREF funding, BHI will engage more than 48 government, NGO, private sector and academic partners, and lead a globally-renowned paradigm shift for B-H diseases, improving the health and quality of life of Canadians, while benefiting the Canadian economy and global standing.