The epidemics of heart failure (HF) represents a challenge for the National Health System: despite advances over the past 30 years, the prognosis for patients who are admitted to hospital with HF remains poor, with a 5 year mortality that is nearly 50%, worse than that for patients with breast or colon cancer. The incidence of HF is dramatically increasing at an unanticipated speed emphasizing the need for novel strategies aiming at the identification of the cause of this devastating disease.