A major public health challenge

In Switzerland, cardiovascular diseases were responsible for approximately 20,400 deaths in 2023, or nearly a quarter of all deaths. More than 137,000 people are hospitalised each year for cardiovascular disease, a figure that will inevitably increase with the ageing population. “Stroke, ischaemic heart disease such as myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis or arterial hypertension: heart and vascular diseases are numerous, as are the clinical and research expertise available in Geneva”, stresses Christoph Huber. “Whilst the strengths already exist, work in silos is still very much present. The aim of the GCCVR is to create a truly dynamic and interconnected network.”

From fragmentation to fusion

Conceived as an accelerator of innovation and collaboration, the GCCVR brings together researchers from clinical medicine, translational research, basic research, engineering and data sciences. Together, they pursue a shared objective: to reinvent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular research in Geneva and, ultimately, to save more lives. “By moving from a fragmentation of projects and isolated expertise to a truly integrated research effort, we can transform our diverse strengths into a unified model, in which basic science directly informs clinical practice”, emphasises Brenda Kwak. “Until now, collaborations have largely depended on individual initiative, without structure or coordination. This fragmentation has limited synergies and the transferability of data between basic research and clinical practice.”

Why now?

The scientific legitimacy of the project is undeniable: Geneva has more than 40 research groups in the cardiovascular field, with over 23 million Swiss francs in competitive funding, in areas as diverse as atherosclerosis and dyslipidaemias, thrombosis, advanced heart failure, aortic diseases, congenital heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases and artificial intelligence in medical imaging.

But the moment is also critical to ensure continuity of teaching and research. “The GCCVR will allow for a much more global and coherent approach to renewing research and teaching positions in order to create a coherent centre capable of training new generations of scientists and physicians whilst developing innovative research”, adds Christoph Huber. “Cardiovascular centres already exist elsewhere in Switzerland, in Basel, Bern and Zurich for instance. The idea is not to replicate what is already being done, but rather to propose a new strategy and new skills.” Among the Centre's key research areas are two major research topics: data science, which will enable common projects to be brought together on a shared digital platform, and an openness to industrial valorisation and partnerships.

An innovative data governance

One of the GCCVR's major assets lies in its data governance strategy. In collaboration with the Division of Medical Informatics at the HUG and the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, the Centre will develop an infrastructure capable of integrating biobank, clinical, imaging and genomic data according to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). “Our ambition is to establish Geneva as a European reference centre in cardiovascular data science, built on robust internal expertise and ensuring true scientific sovereignty”, details Brenda Kwak. We have the talent and the scientific foundations! The GCCVR’s DNA is therefore threefold: a research structure, a teaching platform, and a strategic tool for international visibility in an interconnected and dedicated ecosystem.”

Christoph HUBER
Full Professor,
Department of Surgery
& Co-director of the GCCVR
UNIGE Faculty of Medicine

Chief Physician,
Division of Cardiovascular Surgery,
Surgery Department,
HUG

Brenda KWAK
Full Professor,
Department of Pathology and Immunology,
& Co-director of the GCCVR
UNIGE Faculty of Medicine