RECREATE - non-coding RNA therapeutics to elicit cardiac reg

The usual treatments for a heart condition called ischemic heart disease cannot fully repair the damaged heart tissue. Cardiac tissue regeneration represents a ground-breaking new strategy to treat this condition. Studies show that the proliferation of cardiomyocytes in the adult human heart is too low to replace its cells well after an injury. Recent research suggests that we might be able to kickstart the heart`s healing process by stimulating the proliferation of already existing cardiomyocytes and the promotion of blood vessels. Non-coding RNAs, microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs have been shown as powerful posttranscriptional regulators of the cellular function. Using RNA treatments to change how these molecules work could be a good way to temporarily boost heart regeneration and treat ischemic heart disease. The RECREATE consortium is a group of scientists working together on this. They are investigating how non-coding RNAs work in animals like zebrafish and African spiny mice, which can naturally regenerate their hearts and comparing this with animals like mice and humans, which have a lower potential of regeneration. Advanced techniques such as pull- down techniques, coupled NGS and mass-spec technologies will be used to understand how non-coding RNAs function. Potential treatments will be applied to in lab-grown mini-hearts (cardioids), mouse models, and human heart slices. The scientists in the consortium have different expertise and are working together to understand how non-coding RNAs contribute to heart regeneration. The goal of this project is to develop new treatments that could make a big difference for people with ischemic heart disease.

No additional funding sources recorded.