# Quantifying Multi-Scale Architecture of Cardiac Tissues

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2021 · $71,360

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Biological tissues have intricate multi-scale organizations integrating multiple component, and this architec-
ture is often changed in pathology. Moreover, it is suspected that altered architecture contributes to loss
of efficient functionalities in tissues and organs. For instance, the heart muscle's myofibril organization is
disturbed during many heart diseases, and structural changes are known to impact both contractility and
electrophysiology. However, the mechanisms by which architectural changes at a specific spatial scales
impact muscle functionality, such as contractility, are not well understood. One of the big challenges in dis-
covering these mechanisms is the adaptability of living muscle tissue. Indeed, changing the architecture at
some length scales triggers a downstream effect that is reflected in a change to the expression levels of a
variety of genes some of which contribute to the contraction function. Thus the mechanobiology of cardiac
tissue remains, in many aspects, a mystery, which is to be address in this project by discovering, through
experimental and modeling work, some of the biomechanical laws that control the relationship between or-
ganization and contractility. In Aim 1, we will expand the understanding of the mechanical consequences
of the biological changes triggered in some tissues by pursuing exploring if one of the mechanisms that is
important in determining the structure-function relationship in striated muscle is the registration of sarcom-
eres. In Aim 2, we will optimize existing analysis software and codes developed in Aim 1 to understand the
heterogenous maturation nature of stem-cell derived cardiac tissues. New image analysis methods will be
combined with structure-function model to elucidate the mechanisms behind cardiac development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10217763
- **Project number:** 1R03EB028605-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Anna Grosberg
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $71,360
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-20 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10217763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10217763, Quantifying Multi-Scale Architecture of Cardiac Tissues (1R03EB028605-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10217763. Licensed CC0.

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