Ageing and senescence of endogenous cardiac stem cells (eCSCs) determines myocardial regenerative potential
Many hundreds of thousands of people are living with heart failure, but there is no cure. Stem cells are able to repair the heart, but understanding how they work is crucial if we are to develop new therapies to boost repair after tissue becomes damaged. The heart has its own resident stem cells, which have the potential to regenerate damaged heart tissue, such as after a heart attack, when they are instructed to. Dr Georgina Ellison and colleagues believe that ageing and disease disrupt these ‘instructions’ and therefore how well these cells can regenerate lost tissue. The BHF has awarded Dr Ellison a grant to unravel the molecular processes that control how these stem cells become ‘aged’, and work out if they can rescue them from being non-productive and return them to full function so that they can produce new heart tissue and improve the performance of the heart. Understanding how best to ‘instruct’ these stem cells to repair tissue might reveal ways to repair the damage using new drugs for heart disease and heart failure.
Project details
| Grant amount | £205,830 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 June 2014 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/14/11/30657 |
| Status | Complete |
