Hyperplasia and senescence in the heart
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of cell hyperplasia and senescence in the regeneration of the heart
IRAS ID
298367
Contact name
Georgina Ellison-Hughes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The human heart displays regenerative potential. The heart harbours a rare population of stem/progenitor cells which can give rise to new heart cells, including cardiomyocytes. Newly formed, proliferating cardiomyocytes have been detected in the heart, which increase in number after injury and can completely restore the functional capacity of the injured neonatal (<7 days) mouse heart. As the heart ages, senescent cells (that are withdrawn from the cell cycle and abnormal) accumulate contributing to cardiac regenerative deterioration. This research project aims to extract the stem/progenitor cells and/or the cardiomyocytes from different aged donors (0 to 85 years). Then various basic science assays will be performed on the cells to determine their biological properties and regenerative potential (i.e. proliferative or differentiation profile). We will perform in depth single cell RNA-Sequencing to determine cell heterogeneity and transcriptional profile. We aim to uncover reasons for why the regenerative potential of the human heart declines with age. What are the factors that determine cardiomyocyte proliferation (renewal) vs. senescence. We will interrogate our RNA-seq data to elucidate molecules/signalling pathways that govern cardiac renewal/regeneration/senescence. We envision that the scientific information gained from this research will help design optimal protocols for prevention of cardiac deterioration with ageing and disease, and regeneration of heart tissue to treat heart diseases and failure.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/1518
Date of REC Opinion
22 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion