# Micropatterned surfaces for modeling muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy

> **NIH NIH F32** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $39,275

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Heart failure secondary to cardiac involvement of muscular dystrophy is a main driver of morbidity and
mortality in patients with certain subtypes of muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne and Becker muscular
dystrophy. The dystrophin complex connects the skeletal and cardiac muscle cytoskeleton to the extracelluar
matrix. Mutations in genes that encode the proteins of the dystrophin complex cause muscular dystrophy and
cardiomyopathy. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be created from patient cells and differentiated
into cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to provide patient/genotype specific models of disease. These models are
somewhat limited by their immaturity, including in their expression of the dystrophin complex. Correct display
of the dystrophin complex in iPSC-CMs is essentially if this promising tool is to useful in testing new
therapeutic strategies for cardiomyopathy secondary to muscular dystrophy. This proposal presents
preliminary data that demonstrates that micropatterned surfaces combined with maturation media can improve
the expression and localization of the dystrophin complex in iPSC-CMs. It aims to fully characterize the
dystrophin complex of iPSC-CMs and identify conditions that improve maturation of the complex using
micropatterned patterned surfaces. Using this model, several therapeutic strategies for muscular dystrophy
will be assessed using patient-derived iPSC lines from patients with 3 different subtypes of muscular of
muscular dystrophy that affect the dystrophin complex. This NRSA individual postdoctoral fellowship is to
facilitate Dr. Fullenkamp's development as a physician-scientist. Dr. Fullenkamp will carry out this work at the
Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University under the sponsorship of Dr. Elizabeth McNally. Dr.
Fullenkamp is a participant in the Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) and a Cardiovascular Disease
Fellow at Northwestern University. He has completed the majority of his clinical training and this fellowship will
support the research phase of his training. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Fullenkamp will benefit uniquely from
the mentorship of Dr. McNally who is an internationally recognized physician-scientist with specialization in
cardiac genetics and muscular dystrophy. The strong engineering resources of Northwestern University will
allow Dr. Fullenkamp to bring engineering tools to this project, while at the same time learning new skills in
molecular and cellular biology and genetics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10410238
- **Project number:** 3F32HL154712-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Dominic Edward Fullenkamp
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $39,275
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10410238

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10410238, Micropatterned surfaces for modeling muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy (3F32HL154712-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10410238. Licensed CC0.

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