Promoting cardiac proliferation within the adult mammalian heart by pharmacological inhibition of DUSP6- and GSK3ß-dependent signalling
Dr Alison Brewer is looking for ways to help the heart repair itself after it becomes damaged, for example after a heart attack. When the heart is damaged, heart muscle cannot produce enough new cells to replace the damaged ones. As a result, the damaged heart doesn’t work as effectively as it should, which can lead to heart failure. Although scientists originally thought that heart muscle cells were unable to divide at all, we now know that these cells can grow and divide, but certain signals prevent them from doing so. We know that a protein called cyclin D2 is critical for heart muscle cell to divide, by triggering the cell division process. In this project, Dr Brewer is investigating, in mice, whether certain combinations of drugs boost cyclin D2 activity. The research team will find out if giving the cyclin D2-boosting drugs increase the number of heart muscle cells and improve heart function after a heart attack. We urgently need better therapies to prevent heart failure developing after a heart attack. If successful, this research could point to new treatment targets for heart muscle regeneration.
Project details
| Grant amount | £251,041 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Project Grants |
| Application type | Project Grant |
| Start Date | 01 May 2015 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | PG/15/27/31374 |
| Status | Complete |
