How proline metabolism controls heart muscle cell growth
Project 3 - Role of Proline Metabolism in Regulation of Mammalian Cardiomyocyte Proliferation
This project looks at how the body's processing of the amino acid proline might help newborn and adult hearts regrow muscle cells after injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11141898 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will study how proline metabolism affects when heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) stop or start dividing. They will compare newborn hearts, which can regenerate, with adult hearts and use low-oxygen conditions that previously encouraged adult mouse heart cells to divide. Experiments will include tissue and cell analyses and animal models to track metabolism, DNA damage, and cell cycle activity. The team aims to identify molecular steps that could be targeted to safely promote heart muscle regeneration.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with heart muscle damage or heart failure would be the main eventual candidates for treatments developed from these findings.
Not a fit: People without heart muscle disease or with conditions unrelated to cardiomyocyte loss are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that help damaged hearts regrow muscle cells and reduce progression to heart failure.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal studies have shown newborn hearts can regenerate and that low-oxygen can trigger adult mouse cardiomyocyte division, but targeting proline metabolism for therapy is a relatively new direction.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sadek, Hesham — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Sadek, Hesham
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.