We aim to implement cardiac injury models in zebrafish and to use them to identify genes involved in heart regeneration, with a focus on genes impairing cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation/proliferation.
Start – End dates: 06/09/18 – 31/01/22
Project reference: Nuclis Internacionals (RDINT18-1-0004)
Total budget: 280,000€
Financed by: ACCIÓ, Spain
¨With the support from ACCIÓ; program Nulcis Internacional, project reference RDINT18-1-0004¨
Partners: Taros Chemicals (Germany)
Summary:
Ischemic heart disease represents the leading cause of death worldwide. A potential treatment for infarction is based on the identification of factors promoting cardiac self-healing. Cardiac regeneration is possible but molecular mechanisms allowing heart repair are dormant in humans. Meanwhile, zebrafish uses the same conserved molecular components to repair its heart. Thus, zebrafish represents a powerful model for understanding heart repair in vivo and for discovering molecules enabling heart functional recovery upon ischemia. We aim to implement cardiac injury models in zebrafish and to use them to identify genes involved in heart regeneration, with a focus on genes impairing cardiomyocyte dedifferentiation/proliferation. After validating suitable biomarkers, virtual screening, chemical hit validation and optimisation will yield lead molecules, which interact with master regulators of cardiac self-healing, as suitable starting points for novel pro-regeneration therapies.