How immune cells' adrenaline receptors affect heart healing after a heart attack
Project 3
This project aims to find out whether blocking a specific adrenaline receptor on immune cells helps hearts heal better after a heart attack for people with or at risk of heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Temple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11098658 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's view, researchers are looking at how immune cells called neutrophils and macrophages control healing after an acute heart injury like a heart attack. They use mice engineered to lack a particular β2-adrenergic (adrenaline) receptor on these immune cells to see whether that leads to less scarring, better clearance of dead heart cells, and preserved heart function. The team also examines blood immune cells and tiny particles called exosomes from people with heart failure to compare signals between humans and mice. Combining animal models and human blood samples helps them pinpoint whether targeting this receptor could be a helpful treatment approach.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would include people who have recently had a heart attack or who have heart failure and might be able to give blood samples or participate in future clinical trials targeting immune-cell adrenergic signaling.
Not a fit: People without heart attacks or heart failure, or whose condition is not driven by immune-related heart remodeling, are unlikely to get direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that reduce heart damage and lower the chance of developing long-term heart failure after a heart attack.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and laboratory studies, including work by this team, suggest altering the β2-adrenergic receptor on immune cells can improve heart recovery, but translation to human treatments remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Temple Univ of the Commonwealth — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tilley, Douglas — Temple Univ of the Commonwealth
- Study coordinator: Tilley, Douglas
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.