How aging wears out heart muscle cells and their mitochondria
Senescence Cardiomyopathy
This project looks at how aging heart muscle cells and their mitochondria change and contribute to age-related heart disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11325310 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research examines how heart muscle cells age and how their mitochondria (cell 'power plants') fail over time. Researchers will use lab-grown heart cells and animal heart tissue to observe how general autophagy and an alternate mitophagy pathway change with age and under heart stress. They will compare older versus younger tissues and induce controlled heart stress in models to track mitochondrial quality control, cell senescence, and inflammatory signals. The team aims to find molecular pathways that could be targeted to keep heart cells healthier as people age.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with age-related heart disease or heart failure, especially older patients, would be the most relevant group if future clinical work develops from this research.
Not a fit: Children with congenital heart defects or people whose heart problems are purely structural or caused by acute infections may not benefit from findings focused on aging-related mechanisms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to new targets for therapies that slow or reverse age-related heart damage and help preserve heart function in older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Animal and cell studies have linked autophagy and mitophagy to heart aging, but focusing on 'alternative mitophagy' is newer and its translation to human treatments is still unproven.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sadoshima, Junichi — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Sadoshima, Junichi
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 below.