Project description
3D model for heart attack recovery
Cardiovascular disease is a global health crisis, with heart attacks causing over 80 % of related deaths. Myocardial infarctions (MI) lead to irreversible cardiomyocyte (CM) loss due to the heart’s inability to regenerate, making therapeutic drugs vital for recovery. However, drug development is costly, reliant on animal testing, and current human stem cell models are limited in accuracy and scalability. A challenge is the lack of viable 3D cardiac tissue models for testing therapies. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MiniMI project will create a 3D human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) model. Featuring an inducible ‘kill switch’ to mimic localised MI and integrated macrophages for realism, MiniMI will advance cardiac research, enabling precise drug screening and regeneration studies.
Objective
Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with more than 4 out of 5 of these due to heart attacks. Following a myocardial infarction (MI) the loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs) is irreparable due to their non-proliferative state. Following a MI one of the most promising forms of recovery is using therapeutic drugs. Since generating a new drug requires considerable amounts of money and animal testing there is a need for alternative models such as human induced pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) models. hPSCs provide an excellent platform to model cardiac disease, although 2D models are too immature and currently 3D models are not viable for screening of therapeutic compound libraries.
To solve this, I aim to implement a 'kill switch' in a subpopulation of a 3D cardiac tissue, that when triggered will induce necroptosis in the population, simulating a localized heart attack. Integrating macrophages will improve the physiological relevance and cTnT-FUCCI CMs will be used to monitor CM proliferation.
To generate this innovative, dependable, inducible model of MI using hiPSCs, the project is divided into 3 achievable goals.
1. Generate a hPSC cell line with inducible kill switch system
2. Integrate macrophages into microtissues, induce the kill switch, investigate response to localized cell death and cellular changes producing a scRNA-Seq timeline
3. Incorporate cTnT-FUCCI cardiomyocytes to investigate cardiac regenerative therapies
I will receive state-of-the-art genetic modification training to generate the cell line (Goal 1), immune cell generation and integration (Goal 2) and bioinformatic study to identify key pathways identified through scRNA-Seq data generated from the MiniMI model to trial cardiac regenerative compounds (Goal 3). This project will not only generate a reliable model of MI capable for screening of cardioprotective compounds, but also a malleable model suitable for easy adaptation to other researchers interests.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications simulation software
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2333 ZA Leiden
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.