Cardiac Sarcomere Protein Quality Control in Health and Disease
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11603080 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A heart-focused study looking at how heart muscle proteins get misfolded and how the cell’s cleanup system might fix this to protect heart function.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2017 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $528,430 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL136737-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11603080 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with heart failure or conditions affecting sarcomere function could benefit from therapies informed by this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without heart disease or sarcomere-related issues may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project explores how heart muscle cells manage damaged sarcomere proteins and how failures in this quality-control system contribute to heart failure. Researchers will study sarcomere-localized pathways and the role of BAG3 and related proteins in maintaining contractile function. Through experiments in cells and animal models, they will examine how proteotoxic stress leads to protein buildup and reduced heart muscle performance, with a focus on potential therapeutic targets like BAG3. The goal is to uncover mechanisms that preserve heart muscle force and identify steps that could be targeted to prevent or reverse dysfunction in diseased hearts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new ways to preserve heart muscle strength and delay heart failure by boosting the heart’s own protein-cleanup systems.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies suggest that correcting BAG3-related defects can improve heart muscle function, supporting the potential of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kirk, Jonathan a — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Kirk, Jonathan a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.