Special Interview with Prof. Nazha Hamdani
On July 16, 2026, the Editorial Office of The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging conducted an interview with Prof. Nazha Hamdani from Department of Cellular and Translational Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. The interview was hosted by Dr. Sarajo Kumar Mohanta from Institute of Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany.
In this interview, Prof. Hamdani discussed the biological heterogeneity of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), emphasizing the importance of moving toward precision medicine based on disease mechanisms rather than conventional clinical classifications. She highlighted her research interests in myocardial biology, cardiovascular aging, inflammation, and multi-organ crosstalk, and shared her perspectives on the application of multi-omics and artificial intelligence in HFpEF research. Prof. Hamdani also discussed the relationship between HFpEF and cardiovascular aging, and encouraged young researchers to remain curious, persistent, and open to unexpected scientific discoveries.
Watch the full interview between Prof. Prof. Nazha Hamdani and Dr. Sarajo Kumar Mohanta:
Interview Questions:
Q1. How did you first enter the field of cardiovascular research, and what motivated you to focus on heart failure?
Q2. Your research has evolved from myocardial mechanisms to HFpEF and multi-system comorbidity models. What key scientific questions drove this transition?
Q3. In your opinion, what is the most fundamental and unresolved scientific challenge in HFpEF today?
Q4. From the perspective of cardiovascular aging, can HFpEF be considered a manifestation of accelerated aging?
Q5. What do you think will be the most likely breakthrough areas in HFpEF research over the next 5-10 years?
Q6. In your long research career, what do you consider the most important scientific quality?
About Prof. Nazha Hamdani:
Nazha Hamdani is a Professor of Physiology at the Ruhr University Bochum and a principal investigator at the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia. She is an internationally recognized cardiovascular scientist whose research focuses on myocardial biomechanics, titin biology, cardiac remodeling, and the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure, particularly HFpEF. Her work combines advanced biomechanical, molecular, and translational approaches to investigate how alterations in sarcomeric proteins, extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction contribute to cardiac stiffness and impaired myocardial function. Prof. Hamdani has published extensively in leading cardiovascular journals, including Circulation, Circulation Research, European Heart Journal, and Nature Communications, making significant contributions to advancing the understanding of myocardial mechanics and developing novel therapeutic strategies for heart failure and cardiovascular diseases.
About Dr. Sarajo Kumar Mohanta:
Sarajo Kumar Mohanta, PhD is a tenured Group Leader in the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Department of Medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Munich, Germany. His research focuses on the neuroimmune mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases using an integrated approach that spans advanced imaging, tissue clearing, multiomics, virus tracing, translational animal models, and interventional studies. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals such as Nature, Science, Immunity and Circ Res, and is the recipient of multiple national and European research awards.
Editor: Alex Wang
Production Editor: Xingyue Luo
Respectfully Submitted by the Editorial Office of The Journal of Cardiovascular Aging
