Imaging stem cell recruitment within the beating murine heart in vivo using fluorescent intravital microscopy
In heart failure, the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it used to and people become extremely tired and short of breath. Heart failure usually occurs after the heart muscle becomes damaged from a heart attack and, in severe cases, it is fatal. Stem cell therapy is emerging as a potential new way to treat heart failure. When stem cells are injected into the heart they can improve heart function . But one of the major challenges is trying to get enough of these injected stem cells to stay in the injured heart. The BHF has awarded a grant to Dr Neena Kalia from the University of Birmingham to improve the effectiveness of cellular therapy for heart disease and determine whether treating stem cells with hydrogen peroxide makes them ‘stick’ better to blood vessels in the injured heart in mice. She will use a technique called intravital microscopy to directly look at stem cell interactions with blood vessels in the beating heart of mice. Finding ways to keep stem cells in the area of the heart that needs repairing is vital to optimise clinical treatments using cellular therapy for heart and circulatory disease.
Project details
| Grant amount | £85,301 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 February 2015 |
| Duration | 1 year |
| Reference | PG/14/92/31234 |
| Status | Complete |
