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Understanding Exercise's Effects in Heart Failure

This study aims to understand how exercise, specifically a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program or a single 40-minute exercise session, affects the body's molecules in people with heart failure. Heart failure means your heart struggles to pump blood, often causing difficulty with exercise. While cardiac rehabilitation (a supervised exercise program) is known to help, researchers want to discover the specific molecular changes that lead to these benefits. By identifying these molecules, they hope to find new ways to treat heart failure symptoms. You may be eligible if you are 18-89 years old, have heart failure with an ejection fraction (a measure of how well your heart pumps) less than 40%, and are willing to participate in cardiac rehabilitation. The study plans to enroll 90 participants, but its current status is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study, meaning participants will receive specific interventions. It plans to enroll 90 participants.
What's involved
Participants will either complete a 40-minute moderate intensity exercise session or a 12-week program of 3-times weekly monitored exercise sessions.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Changes in proteomic profile (a study of proteins) will be measured at baseline, after an acute exercise bout, and at week 12.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT05696652

Identifying Markers of Exercise Training in Heart Failure

Recruiting
NAAges 18–89Interventional
Stanford University
~90 participants
Updated 2026-02-13 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Acute exerciseCardiac rehabilitation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Change in Proteomic Profile: Chronic
Measured over Baseline vs week 12 proteomic profile
+1 more outcome measured

Conditions

Heart Failure

Explore related trials

Heart Failure

NCT05696652

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • Stanford Health Care

    Stanford, Californiastudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Daniel H Katz, MD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Stanford University

Who to contact

Mia Levanto
[email protected]
650-498-5673
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
Male or female, aged 18-89
Patients must carry a diagnosis of heart failure with ejection fraction \< 40%
Be willing to participate in cardiac rehabilitation, and not already done so in the last year
Agreement to adhere to Lifestyle Considerations (see section 5.3) throughout study duration
Must be able to exercise on a treadmill

Exclusion

Inability to complete CPET or participate in CR (verbal/chart)
Syncope during CPET within the last 6 mos, sustained VT on CPET, hemodynamically significant arrhythmia during CPET (verbal/chart)
BMI \>= 38 (verbal/chart)
History of a bleeding disorder or clotting abnormality (verbal/chart)
Clinical diagnosis of severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (verbal/chart)
History of malignancy not considered in remission (verbal/chart)
Cirrhosis (verbal/chart)
Thyroid disease (verbal/chart)
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) value outside of the normal range for the laboratory within the last 1 year
Individuals with hypothyroidism may be referred to their primary care provider (PCP) for evaluation and retested; any medication change must be stable for ≥3 months prior to retesting
Individuals with hyperthyroidism are excluded, including those with normal TSH on pharmacologic treatment
Cancer (verbal/chart)
History of cancer treatment (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) and not "cancer-free" for at least 2 years
Anti-hormonal therapy (e.g., for breast or prostate cancer) within the last 6 months
Chronic active or latent infection (verbal/chart)
Active or latent infections requiring chronic antibiotic or anti-viral treatment
Chronic active infection whether on chronic antimicrobials or not
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Active hepatitis B or C undergoing antiviral therapy
Individuals successfully treated for hepatitis C and virologically negative for at least 6 months are not excluded
Tobacco (verbal/chart)
Current smokers: any tobacco or e-cigarette/e-nicotine products
Former smokers: Stopped smoking \<6 months at time of screening
Not be pregnant or lactating in the last 12 months, or planning to become pregnant for the next 4 months. Not be post-partum during the last 12 months. (verbal/chart)
Metabolic bone disease (self-report): History of non-traumatic fracture from a standing height or less. Current pharmacologic treatment for low bone mass or osteoporosis, other than calcium, vitamin D, or estrogen. (verbal/chart)
Diabetes (self-report and screening), which includes: i) treatment with any insulin or ii) A1c \>=8.0 (screening). (verbal/chart)
Chronic renal insufficiency (screening): estimated glomerular filtration rate \<30 mL/min/1.73 m2 from serum creatinine (mg/dL) by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. (verbal/chart)
Individuals receiving any active treatment for autoimmune disorders (including monoclonal antibodies) within the last 6 months. (verbal/chart)
Alcohol consumption: i) more than 7 drinks per week for women and more than 14 drinks per week for men; ii) history of binge drinking. (verbal/chart)
Any individual engaging in night shift work in the last 6 months.
Hospitalization for any psychiatric condition within one year (verbal/chart)
Any musculoskeletal or ligamentous injury, amputation or congenital neurological defect that, in the opinion of the team clinician, would negatively impact or mitigate participation in and completion of the protocol. (verbal/chart)
Mental incapacity and/or cognitive impairment on the part of the participant that would inhibit adequate understanding of or cooperation with the study protocol
Other (clinician judgment)
Genetic metabolic disorders that could affect metabolomic results (e.g., phenylketonuria)
Any other cardiovascular, pulmonary, orthopedic, neurologic, psychiatric, metabolic, or other conditions that, in the opinion of the local clinician, would preclude participation and successful completion of the protocol
Any other illnesses that, in the opinion of the local clinician, would negatively impact or mitigate participation in and completion of the protocol
Medication exclusions (chart review)
Androgenic anabolic steroids, antiestrogens, antiandrogens
Growth hormone, insulin like growth factor, growth hormone releasing hormone
Insulin of any type used regularly
Any drugs used specifically to induce muscle growth/hypertrophy or augment exercise induced muscle hypertrophy
Psychiatric
Chronic use of medium- or long-acting sedatives and hypnotics, including all benzodiazepines; short-acting non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics are allowed
Two or more drugs for depression
Mood stabilizers
Antiepileptic drugs
Stimulants, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs
Anti-psychotic drugs
Narcotics and narcotic receptor agonists
Chronic systemic antimicrobials (antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasite, etc) for any reason
High-potency topical steroids if ≥10% of surface area using rule of 9s
Continuous/chronic use of antibiotics or other anti-infectives for treatment or prevention
Monoclonal antibodies
Anti-rejection medications/immune suppressants
Any other medications that, in the opinion of local clinicians, would negatively impact or mitigate full participation and completion.

What this trial measures

  • Change in Proteomic Profile: ChronicBaseline vs week 12 proteomic profile

    Patients will have proteomic profiling performed at baseline, prior to the intervention period, and again following the 12 week intervention. Proteomic profiling measures levels of \~3000 proteins in the blood, so the changes in the global proteome can be assessed after the intervention period.

  • Change in Proteomic Profile: AcuteAcute bout vs control; Baseline vs week 12 proteomic profile of acute exercise

    Patients will have proteomic profiling performed at baseline, prior to the acute bout of exercise, and again following the 12 week intervention. Proteomic profiling measures levels of \~3000 proteins in the blood, so the changes in the global proteome can be assessed before and after the acute exercise bout. Comparisons can be drawn between between those exercising and those not exercising (at acute bout #1), but also can be compared between those who did and did not not undergo cardiac rehabilitation (at acute bout #2).