REACT aims to develop therapies that stimulate heart muscle regeneration by promoting heart cell division.
Current methods to track cell division in living hearts are limited. We will create imaging systems using reporter genes that will enable real-time monitoring of cell cycle activation in our in vivo models. This approach will help test and optimise regenerative treatments safely and effectively, laying the way for controlled activation of heart repair mechanisms.
Challenges
Target discoveryOrganisations
- University College London
- King's College London
In depth
REACT will generate a range of therapies able to activate endogenous cardiac regeneration and cardiomyocyte proliferation. However, the lack of reliable in vivo methods for tracking cell cycle makes it challenging to study mechanisms and mediators of cardiac therapy.
CycleTrack has recently been reported as a system to monitor cell cycle during development, disease and regeneration. We are planning to modify CycleTrack by engineering a range of alternative reporter genes which can generate signals detectable within our in vivo models.
In addition, we will develop a method which can be used to serially monitor cardiomyocyte proliferation in 2D and 3D in our in vivo model, then use the system to investigate the efficacy of systemically administered activators of cell cycle. The method can ultimately be used to develop a controlled approach for activating endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation.