# Nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres for heart regeneration

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $390,000

## Abstract

Nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres for heart regeneration
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world today. In particular, myocardial
infarction (MI), commonly known as heart attack, results in permanent heart muscle damage or death, and is
the number one killer of heart patients. One major challenge to heart functional recovery after MI is the harsh
environment of infarcted areas, which prevents either repopulation of endogenous cells or/and
retention/integration of transplanted cells. We have developed injectable nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres
as a novel cell carrier and found they dramatically increase cell engraftment in infarcted hearts. We have also
developed novel technology for controlled release of biomolecules to enhance heart regeneration. In addition,
we have discovered that an epigenetic drug valproic acid (VPA) reduces ~50% of the infarct size when
administrated after ischemia reperfusion (IR) and preserves the pumping function of heart in a rat MI model.
We therefore hypothesize that high retention of transplanted cells and a reviving epigenetic microenvironment
for them can synergize cardiac muscle regeneration in infarcted heart, substantially improving functional
recovery. The following specific aims are proposed to test our hypothesis and develop novel regenerative heart
therapy: Aim 1. Determine the molecular mechanism of VPA in enhancing cell survival in infarcted heart. Aim 2.
Develop nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres as a carrier for cells and biomolecules. Aim 3. Regenerate
infarcted heart using VPA and cell-carrying nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres in immunodeficient rats. By
accomplishing these specific aims, we will achieve substantial new mechanistic understandings and will
develop novel and advanced technologies for heart regeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10469629
- **Project number:** 5R01HL139735-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER X MA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $390,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10469629

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10469629, Nanofibrous self-gelling microspheres for heart regeneration (5R01HL139735-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10469629. Licensed CC0.

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