Senescence as a potential therapeutic target for ischaemia reperfusion injury following acute myocardial infarction.
During a heart attack, it is vital to restore blood flow to the heart but this restored blood flow can itself cause further damage that may lead to heart failure over time. Dr Gavin Richardson’s research suggests that this damage may make the heart muscle age faster than usual. It’s thought that the ageing heart cells produce substances that stop other cells in the heart from working, cause a build-up of scar tissue and thicken the heart muscle wall. This is called heart remodelling. Dr Richardson’s research in mice suggests that blocking the ageing process in heart cells could prevent remodelling of the heart. This means it could be a promising therapeutic strategy to prevent heart failure progression in people. In this project, he will use genetically engineered mice in which ageing is prevented. These will show whether the remodelling seen after treatment for a heart attack can still happen if heart muscle cells are not allowed to age. These results will help better understand the mechanisms at play during heart remodelling following a heart attack and could help identify new avenues for treatment in the future.
Project details
| Grant amount | £190,314 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 12 August 2019 |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Reference | PG/19/15/34269 |
| Status | In Progress |
