Pharmacological inhibition of Hippo pathway to Control Adverse Cardiac Remodelling

Project Details

Description

Heart diseases are very common and are major causes of death worldwide. The most frequent heart diseases such as heart attack and long-term high blood pressure can lead to changes in heart structure. These changes may include enlargement of heart cells, formation of scar tissues and the death of heart muscle cells. This process may lead to the reduction of heart function and eventually the failure of the heart to pump blood adequately to the whole body (heart failure). We have identified molecules in the heart which are part of the group of proteins called the Hippo signalling pathway. These molecules work by regulating growth and survival of heart cells in diseased conditions. Our previous studies have shown that if we can control the activities of these molecules then we can repair the damaged of the heart tissues following heart attack or chronic high blood pressure. We have identified two new drugs that can be used to control these molecules: XMU-MP-1 and MRT137. The latter was identified through a collaboration with LifeArc, a non-profit research organization focusing on drug discovery and development.
In this study we test the effects of treatment with these pharmacological compounds in mouse models of acute heart attack and chronic high blood pressure. By using state of the art technology we will examine if these drugs can alleviate the extent of heart damage and improve the heart function. It is expected that this study will provide key information as to whether these drugs can be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of hearts diseases in the future.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/02/2231/01/24

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