Programming and reprogramming cardiac tissue

PI: Laurie Boyer, Department of Biology and Biomedical Engineering, MIT

Human pluripotent and adult stem cells hold great promise for tissue engineering and disease modelling; yet deriving mature, functional cell types in vitro that enable transplantation in vivo remains a key challenge particularly for cardiac cell types. We propose to build the first detailed molecular blueprint underpinning maturation of the cardiac muscle and to identify the molecular roadblocks that prevent adult cardiac regeneration. This work represents the fundamental first steps for identifying key nodes for stimulating cardiac repair and for engineering physiologically relevant cardiac organ systems, key unmet needs in the field.

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