13 April 2026
Despite major progress in cardiovascular research, the translational gap between preclinical findings and clinical outcomes in myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic heart failure remains substantial. Current rodent models, while invaluable for uncovering fundamental mechanisms of cardiac injury and repair, do not adequately replicate the complex and prolonged pathophysiological responses observed in humans. In rodents, the inflammatory, reparative, and remodeling phases unfold within days to a few weeks. In humans, however, these phases evolve over extended periods of weeks to months, involving more dynamic and highly coordinated interactions across multiple cell types and microenvironmental cues. As a result, rodent systems fail to capture critical temporal, molecular, and cellular features that shape human cardiac pathology and therapeutic responses.
These translational gaps substantially weaken the predictive value of early‑stage studies and have contributed to the limited success of clinical trials targeting post‑MI injury and remodeling. To overcome this gap, advanced human multicellular in vitro models are needed that more accurately replicate the complexity of ischemic cardiac injury. Such platforms should be scalable, reproducible, and capable of modeling key pathophysiological events—including hypoxia‑induced injury, immune activation, inflammatory signaling, extracellular matrix remodeling, scar formation, and progressive functional decline.
Through this opnMe call, we invite scientific experts to submit innovative research proposals addressing the following question:
Using novel systems, how would you propose to bridge the translational gap between current rodent models and clinical outcomes in acute myocardial infarction and ischemic heart failure?
Boehringer Ingelheim’s CardioRenalMetabolic Diseases Research team is interested in proposals that focus on advanced human multicellular models capable of capturing the key biology and pathology of acute myocardial infarction or ischemic cardiac injury. These models should include functional readouts to assess therapeutic responses, identify biomarkers, and help bridge the gap between preclinical findings and clinical outcomes.
Selected projects will collaborate directly with Boehringer Ingelheim scientists and may receive up to 300,000 euros in research funding, covering direct, indirect, and overhead costs. Funding requests should be milestone‑based and aligned with the complexity and validation stage of the proposed model.
Submit your ideas now! Proposals will only be accepted if received through June 1, 2026, 11:59 pm PST.
No registration required
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About our opn2EXPERTS question:
Using novel systems, how would you propose to bridge the translational gap between current rodent models and clinical outcomes in acute myocardial infarction and ischemic heart failure? With ambitious questions such as this, we share precisely formulated scientific questions with the research community as part of our opn2EXPERTS program. Together with winning teams, we intend to explore novel solutions for discovery research that will ultimately benefit the needs of patients.
About opnMe:
opnMe.com, the open science portal of Boehringer Ingelheim, fosters science and collaboration initiatives in areas of high unmet medical need. Our molecules are provided to the scientific community either free of charge as “Molecules to Order” or applied for via scientific research submissions as “Molecules for Collaboration”. With our “opn2EXPERTS” and “techMATCH” calls, we enlist scientific advice on key scientific topics to fuel further drug discovery and deliver novel solutions that benefit unmet patient needs. Our "opn2TALENTS" postdoc grants at one of our research sites offer opportunities for high-level talents to propose innovative approaches for precisely defined scientific questions.