# Human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes to model atrial fibrillation in a dish

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $19,268

## Abstract

Abstract of R01 Minority Supplement
Studies in whites of European descent have shown that atrial fibrillation (AF) has a strong genetic component
especially in probands with early-onset AF. However, the role of family history and the underlying genetic
mechanisms for lone (early-onset) atrial flutter (AFL) remain unclear. The major goal of Specific Aim 1 is to
determine if African American, European American and Hispanic/Latino probands with early-onset AFL have a
higher rate of arrhythmia recurrence in first-degree family members than ethnically-matched patients with late-
onset AFL. Patients prospectively recruited in the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Jesse Brown Veterans
Administration (JBVA) and Advocate Heart Institute (AHI) AF/AFL Registry who completed a baseline
questionnaire detailing clinical characteristics including a family history of AFL in first-degree relatives will form
the study cohort. We define early-onset AFL as AFL occurring in a proband ≤66 years of age in the absence of
overt structural heart disease by clinical examination, echocardiography and electrocardiogram. All other forms
of AFL are categorized as late-onset AFL. A family history of AFL will be verified by ECG confirmation in family
members. Although genetic approaches to AF have provided important insights into the pathophysiology and
identified novel therapeutic pathways, the underlying genetic mechanisms of AFL remain unclear in part
because of the challenges of adequately recapitulating human AFL in cellular models. Specific Aim 2 will
identify and phenotypically characterize African American, European American, and Hispanic/Latino kindreds
with familial early-onset AFL, identify novel mutations causing the arrhythmia and elucidate the underlying
cellular mechanisms using mature atrial iPSC-CMs (as described in the parent grant). Our studies will not only
determine for the first time the role of family history in the pathogenesis of early-onset AFL and identify novel
genes and mutations but also elucidate the underlying cellular mechanisms and identify potential mechanism-
based therapies for this common and morbid arrhythmia across race-ethnicity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10152831
- **Project number:** 3R01HL150586-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Dawood Darbar
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $19,268
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-01-17 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10152831

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10152831, Human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes to model atrial fibrillation in a dish (3R01HL150586-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10152831. Licensed CC0.

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