How viruses disrupt connections between heart cells in myocarditis
Official title: Viral subversion of intercellular coupling during myocarditis
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11120898 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how adenovirus damages the links between heart cells and causes dangerous heart rhythms in people with viral myocarditis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $538,404 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL159512-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11120898 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with suspected or confirmed viral myocarditis—especially cases linked to adenovirus—or those recovering from recent viral heart infection would be the most relevant candidates for related participation or sample donation.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-infectious forms of heart disease, chronic heart failure unrelated to viral infection, or inherited arrhythmia syndromes may not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
If I had viral myocarditis, researchers would study how a common virus (adenovirus) affects the tiny connections (gap junctions) between my heart cells, focusing on a protein called connexin43 and nearby ion channels. They'll use lab-grown human heart cells and improved infection models to mimic human infection despite species barriers. By tracking changes in electrical signals and cell adhesion during infection, they aim to find the molecular steps that lead to arrhythmias. Those findings could point to targets for drugs or antivirals to help prevent virus-triggered heart rhythm problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify specific molecular causes of arrhythmias in viral myocarditis and suggest new treatment or antiviral strategies.
How similar studies have gone: This approach is relatively novel: prior work showed adenovirus can target cell adhesion late in infection, but direct links to gap junction dysfunction and arrhythmia are largely untested.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smyth, James William — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Smyth, James William
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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.