Characterisation of chamber-specific fibroblasts from adult human heart and investigation of their potential contribution to the function of engineered heart tissue
Supervised by Prakash Punjabi, a Clinical Research Training Fellow is studying cells within the heart called fibroblasts and how they can support the growth of new heart tissue. Fibroblasts help the body to repair itself after injury. But sometimes heart fibroblasts cannot repair damaged tissue after a heart attack - instead they form a scar where the heart muscle is damaged. Excessive scarring of the heart following a heart attack can lead to heart failure, for which there is currently no treatment. To replace the heart muscle that is lost following a heart attack, Mr Punjabi is making 3D engineered heart tissue from stem cells. In contrast to the scarring properties of fibroblasts in the heart, the team have shown that adding these cells to the new engineered tissue allows it to develop into mature heart muscle more effectively. In this project, the fellow will study the characteristics of heart fibroblasts taken from different chambers of the heart, and their ability to modify 3D engineered heart tissue. They will also compare the self-repairing ability of heart fibroblasts isolated from different chambers of the heart which are pumping normally and abnormally. This study will reveal more about heart fibroblasts and the differences between healthy and diseased hearts. It could help us work out how we could use fibroblasts to help hearts repair themselves.
Project details
| Grant amount | £165,573 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Fellowships |
| Application type | Clinical Research Training Fellowship |
| Start Date | 01 January 2016 |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Reference | FS/15/79/31736 |
| Status | Complete |
