Objective
The main hurdle to the effective use of stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs and hIPSC-CMs) in drug toxicology screening and transplantation therapy is their embryonic nature. It is recognised that hESC-CM and hIPSC-CM are immature and undergo limited maturation in the laboratory. This creates problems as the cells may not display appropriate responses to target drugs in toxicology screening and may not be suitable for transplantation into the damaged heart. The research outlined in this proposal will begin to address these issues.
The aim of my proposal is to study the function and regulation of the recently discovered cardiac myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and its downstream targets, regulatory myosin light chain (MLC) proteins. Evidence suggests that cardiac MLCK is responsible for modulating cardiomyocyte contractility. In studying the function of cardiac MLCK I aim to generate hESC-CM and hIPSC-CM with an increased structural maturity, which will be more suitable for drug toxicology screening.
Importantly, the study of cardiac MLCK also has clinical relevance. Expression of cardiac MLCK is downregulated in the hearts of rats that suffered induced myocardial infarction, and when used to treat these animals, upregulation of the gene can improve cardiac output. Investigation of cardiac MLCK function in human cardiomyocytes in this proposal may provide insights into a potential role for cardiac MLCK in the treatment of heart attack patients.
Finally, the proposed research will also highlight the potential of hESC-CM and hIPSC-CM as models to study the basic biology of the human heart.
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 biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology cells technologies stem cells
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine transplantation
- medical and health sciences basic medicine toxicology
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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.
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.
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.
FP7-PEOPLE-2010-IOF
See other projects for this call
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.
Coordinator
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
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.