Research Highlights

Novel engineered blood clots, generated via the rapid crosslinking of red blood cells into tough cytogels, are superior to native blood clots in fracture toughness and adherence to tissues, demonstrating the potential of using ‘click clotting’ technology in the management of haemorrhage, surgical bleeding and bleeding disorders.

In the C-TRACT trial involving patients with post-thrombotic syndrome, the addition of endovascular treatment to standard care reduced the severity of symptoms and improved quality of life, but increased the risk of bleeding, compared with standard care alone.

Engineered immunosuppressive and fibrosis-targeted dendritic cells protect against pathological cardiac remodelling in animal models of ischaemic and pressure-overload-induced heart failure, including a non-human primate model of myocardial infarction.

In the HI-PEITHO trial, ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed fibrinolysis plus anticoagulation improved outcomes compared with anticoagulation alone in patients with acute, intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

In the CHIP-BCIS3 trial, elective left ventricular unloading with a microaxial flow pump did not reduce the risk of major adverse clinical outcomes in patients with severely impaired left ventricular function undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention.

Findings from the double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized ORBITA-CTO trial show that PCI for coronary artery chronic total occlusion reduces angina symptoms beyond placebo in appropriately selected patients.

In patients with atrial fibrillation without contraindications for anticoagulation, device-based left atrial appendage closure is non-inferior to therapy with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) with respect to the composite end point of stroke, systemic embolism or death from cardiovascular causes at 3 years.

In a new study, treatment with self-amplifying RNA contained in lipid nanoparticles to increase the production of atrial natriuretic peptide preserved ventricular function and reduced cardiac fibrosis in mouse and pig models of myocardial infarction.

In a study published in Nature, Liberles and colleagues demonstrate that vagal PIEZO2 neurons in the heart respond to shifts in circulating blood volume to stabilize blood pressure during changes in posture.

A heart–brain loop, which involves vagal sensory neurons in the heart, the paraventricular nucleus in the brain and sympathetic signalling via the superior cervical ganglia, mediates adverse cardiac remodelling after myocardial infarction in mice.

Treatment with low-dose IL-2 increases regulatory T cell numbers and reduces arterial inflammation in patients with an acute coronary syndrome and residual systemic inflammation compared with placebo, according to findings from the IVORY trial.

In the VESALIUS-CV trial, the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab reduced the risk of a first cardiovascular event in patients with atherosclerosis or diabetes mellitus but without a previous myocardial infarction or stroke.

In patients with residual inflammation after acute myocardial infarction, antibody-mediated antagonism of the oxidized LDL receptor LOX1 does not induce significant regression of noncalcified atherosclerotic plaque volume over the course of 9 months compared with placebo, according to the GOLDILOX-TIMI 69 trial.

In the mouse ischaemic myocardium, neutrophils promote ventricular tachycardia via the secretion of resistin-like molecule-γ, according to a new study published in Science.

Large-scale clinical trials presented at the ESC Congress 2025 support the use of high-dose vaccination for influenza to reduce hospitalization for cardiorespiratory disease in older adults and to improve outcomes in patients who have been hospitalized for acute heart failure.

Two late-breaking clinical trials presented at the ESC Congress 2025 have explored the efficacy of cardiac myosin inhibitors for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In the DIGIT-HF trial, treatment with digitoxin in addition to guideline-directed medical therapy reduced the risk of hospitalization for worsening heart failure or all-cause death compared with placebo in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

In patients with uncontrolled or resistant hypertension, the addition of the aldosterone synthase inhibitor baxdrostat to background antihypertensive therapy reduces seated in-office systolic blood pressure after 12 weeks of treatment, according to findings from the BaxHTN trial presented at the ESC Congress 2025.

A home-based model of hypertension care can lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension compared with standard care in the clinic, according to the IMPACT-BP trial, which was performed in a rural setting in South Africa and presented at the ESC Congress 2025.