Targeting Dysregulated Maturation Program in PSC-Cardiomyocytes

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $749,769 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Pluripotent-derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) remain immature in phenotype and function, and the lack of maturity has now emerged as a major concern in their clinical application. However, it remains poorly understood why PSC-CMs fail to fully mature. To address this, we have generated a high-quality, high-resolution single cell transcriptome map of endogenous CMs undergoing maturation and identified a critical window when a majority of genes change their expression levels. A direct transcriptomic integration with isogenic PSC-CMs has revealed a group of perinatal genes abnormally expressed in PSC-CMs, causing them to stall prematurely. Through comprehensive computational approaches, we further discovered a conserved gene regulatory network of dysregulated transcription factors that underlie maturation failure. In light of these findings, this project aims to test the role of the gene network in overcoming the premature arrest of PSC-CMs. This knowledge will pave the way for a transcriptome-based strategy for PSC-CM maturation, which can be leveraged towards improving clinical viability of PSC-CMs.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10990176
Project number
1R01HL171205-01A1
Recipient
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator
Chulan Kwon
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2024
Award amount
$749,769
Award type
1
Project period
2024-09-01 → 2028-05-31