# Core B:  Human Cell and Tissue Core

> **NIH NIH P01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $214,377

## Abstract

Core B: Abstract
The Human Cell and Tissue Core (Core B) will provide procured viable human heart tissue for all 3 projects
and Core C. Failing human hearts manifest both severely depressed left ventricular (LV) contractile function
and spontaneously-occurring ventricular arrhythmias (that can lead to sudden cardiac death), while non-failing
heart have preserved ventricular function that will serve as a suitable control. Studies in human heart tissue
and myocytes are important to validate whether or not the findings of the physiological and biochemical
properties from animal and cellular models are also true in humans. Thus, procurement of failing and non-
failing human heart tissue will be critical for all of the PPG projects. Core B will be responsible for procuring
failing human hearts from subjects with end-stage HF undergoing clinically indicated heart transplantation.
Non-failing human hearts with normal LV systolic function will be procured from brain-dead donors whose
hearts are not suitable for transplantation due to technical reasons. The human heart tissue procurement and
processing includes flash-freezing and storage of tissue in liquid nitrogen, isolation of trabecular tissue and
ventricular myocytes, and fixation and processing of human heart tissues for pathological analysis. The core
will also be responsible for obtaining relevant clinical and demographic information in compliance with HIPAA
and IRB regulations. The procedures carried out are specialized, but the personnel involved are expert in their
respective roles and thus the tissue and myocytes will be used efficiently and effectively. Our present pilot data
attest to the feasibility of procuring, distributing and obtaining high-quality data with these tissues and cells.
The use of human heart tissue from a common source will allow integrated and combined biochemical,
proteomic, and electrophysiological assessment of human failing and non-failing heart tissue and myocytes.
The services provided by this core are essential to the successful completion of the proposed studies in
Projects 1-3 to elucidate the mechanism of sarcomere regulated contractile dysfunction during the
development of heart failure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9941106
- **Project number:** 5P01HL062426-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Xun Ai
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $214,377
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9941106

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9941106, Core B:  Human Cell and Tissue Core (5P01HL062426-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9941106. Licensed CC0.

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