# Chemically assisted remodeling of infarcted heart tissue by targeting Wnt lipidation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $419,248

## Abstract

7. Project Summary/Abstract
The secreted Wnt signaling molecules are essential to the coordination of cell-fate
decision-making in multicellular organisms. Despite their impressive role in a broad
range of maladies including cancer and degenerative diseases, Wnt molecules and the
cellular responses that they regulate have largely been refractory to selective chemical
manipulation. In the last few years, my research group has taken a leadership role in
efforts to identify novel points of chemical intervention in Wnt-related diseases. Our
discovery that the Wnt acyltransferase Porcupine (Porcn) is highly druggable and a
chemical vulnerability in Wnt-mediated communication has laid open new approaches to
achieving regenerative medicine goals premised upon modulating Wnt signaling. In this
proposal, we outline experiments that are essential to the development of Porcn
inhibitors as first-in-class anti-fibrotic agents for use following myocardial infarction.
These studies will delineate the mechanistic basis underlying the pro-regenerative
activity of Porcn inhibitors and define an optimal drug delivery regiment that minimizes
chemical exposure time and maximizes regenerative outcome in heart tissue. The data
returned from the completion of these studies will facilitate the development of a more
general playbook for the use of Wnt pathway antagonists in promoting adult tissue
regeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9932480
- **Project number:** 5R01HL138426-04
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** RHONDA BASSEL-DUBY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $419,248
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9932480

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9932480, Chemically assisted remodeling of infarcted heart tissue by targeting Wnt lipidation (5R01HL138426-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9932480. Licensed CC0.

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