How immune cells drive heart inflammation and repair
Official title: Phagocyte Crosstalk in the Balance of Inflammation & Cardiac Disease
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11264929 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to find ways to calm overactive immune cells in people with heart injury or heart failure so the heart can heal with less scarring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2032 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,055,138 |
| NIH project number | 5R35HL177401-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264929 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have had acute heart injury (like a heart attack) or who have chronic heart failure with signs of ongoing inflammation would be the most relevant eventual candidates for treatments this research could inform.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose heart problems are not driven by inflammation or who need immediate clinical interventions are unlikely to see direct benefit from this basic science work in the short term.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will study how certain immune cells called macrophages become overactive after heart injury and during heart failure, using laboratory models and tissue analyses to map the key signals they send and receive. They will examine how these immune cells interact with heart cells and the cardiac lymphatic system and how metabolic changes control whether inflammation resolves or continues. The team will identify specific molecular pathways that make inflammation harmful or help tissue repair, with the goal of pointing to new treatment targets. While much work is done in controlled lab and animal models, the research is focused on mechanisms relevant to human heart disease and could guide future clinical approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new therapies that reduce damaging heart inflammation, lower fibrosis, and improve heart function for people with ischemic injury or heart failure.
How similar studies have gone: Some clinical trials targeting inflammation in cardiovascular disease have shown benefit, but the specific macrophage immunometabolic pathways targeted here remain largely experimental and novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thorp, Edward Benjamin — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Thorp, Edward Benjamin
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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.