Light-activated peptides to mature lab-grown heart cells
Optically Promoting Cardiac Maturation Using Engineered Peptides
This project uses light-responsive peptides to help lab-grown human heart cells become more like adult heart cells so they can improve heart disease research and drug testing.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11366991 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will grow human stem cell-derived heart cells on engineered peptide coatings that encourage the cells to line up and develop adult-like structure. The peptides are designed to convert brief pulses of light into local stimulation, gently activating the cells without electrodes or genetic changes. This approach aims to speed and improve maturation while reducing the need for bulky equipment or long-term physical contacts that can risk contamination. If successful, the method could produce more realistic human heart cells for testing medicines and modeling individual patients' heart conditions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) who can provide blood or tissue samples for making patient-derived stem cells, or people near participating sites who can donate such samples, would be relevant for this work.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate new treatments for their heart condition or those unwilling to provide biological samples are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefit from this lab-based work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce more realistic human heart cells for safer, faster drug testing and better personalized models of heart disease.
How similar studies have performed: Prior methods using electrical pacing, engineered substrates, or optogenetically modified cells have partially improved maturation, but using light-converting peptide surfaces is a novel and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Irvine, United States
- University of California-Irvine — Irvine, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ardona, Herdeline Ann Mallari — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Ardona, Herdeline Ann Mallari
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.