FHOD3 and autophagy in heart disease
Official title: FHOD3 Regulation of Autophagy Pathway in Cardiomyopathy
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11351004 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in adults with hypertrophic heart changes to understand how FHOD3 affects heart cell recycling and could lead to new ways to treat cardiomyopathy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 22, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $763,163 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL175473-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11351004 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include adults with or at risk for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or related cardiomyopathy conditions, and those who may benefit from future translation of autophagy-targeted therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without FHOD3-related cardiomyopathy or those not experiencing heart remodeling may see no direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers at Tufts Medical Center are studying how a FHOD3 gene variant influences autophagy in the heart, using a mouse model to mimic human disease. They will compare heart tissue responses to drugs that stimulate or inhibit autophagy, while monitoring heart structure and function under stress. The goal is to clarify whether FHOD3-driven autophagy pathways contribute to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart failure, which could point toward new therapeutic strategies. This work combines genetic modeling with state-of-the-art imaging to reveal mechanisms that may impact patients with cardiomyopathy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the study could identify new targets to modulate autophagy and slow or prevent heart failure in people with FHOD3-related cardiomyopathy.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work links autophagy defects to cardiomyopathy, and this study builds on that foundation with a human-relevant gene variant model.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huggins, Gordon S — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Huggins, Gordon S
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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.