Project Details
Description
Myocardial infarction has remained one of the most frequent causes of death in the western world. Although progress is being made in reducing mortality with conventional therapies, there is still no cure for the damaged myocardium other than heart transplant.
This approach is however limited by the availability of donors and the potential need for life long immunosuppressive therapy.
The advent of stem cell (SC) research has raised the possibility of restoring normal cardiac function through tissue regeneration using transplanted SCs.
This novel approach is however restricted by the poor survival of SCs within the ischaemic myocardium and by the fact that SCs differentiate into multiple lineages.
The mechanisms that regulate SC apoptosis and the precise signalling that controls their differentiation into cardiomyocytes are still poorly understood.
Our research is therefore aimed at understanding the cellular mechanisms that promote stem cell survival and direct their differentiation into cardiomyocytes.
In parallel we are also interested in identifying endogenous bioactive molecules that may mediate the differentiation process in vivo.
This approach is however limited by the availability of donors and the potential need for life long immunosuppressive therapy.
The advent of stem cell (SC) research has raised the possibility of restoring normal cardiac function through tissue regeneration using transplanted SCs.
This novel approach is however restricted by the poor survival of SCs within the ischaemic myocardium and by the fact that SCs differentiate into multiple lineages.
The mechanisms that regulate SC apoptosis and the precise signalling that controls their differentiation into cardiomyocytes are still poorly understood.
Our research is therefore aimed at understanding the cellular mechanisms that promote stem cell survival and direct their differentiation into cardiomyocytes.
In parallel we are also interested in identifying endogenous bioactive molecules that may mediate the differentiation process in vivo.
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/01/13 → … |
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