Light-controlled targeting of kidney nerves to lower dangerous heart rhythms in heart failure
Official title: Optogenetic silencing to achieve antiarrhythmic effect of renal denervation in chronic heart failure
Funded at University of Nebraska Medical Center · NIH-11121107 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses light-sensitive tools to turn off specific kidney-related nerve cells to try to reduce dangerous heart rhythms in people with chronic heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Omaha, United States) |
| Project start | August 28, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $581,065 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL169476-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11121107 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with chronic heart failure who have frequent or high‑risk ventricular arrhythmias would be the most likely candidates for related future treatments or clinical trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without heart failure or whose arrhythmias are caused mainly by fixed structural heart problems rather than nerve overactivity may not benefit from nerve‑targeted therapies.
What this research studies
Researchers are working in the lab with animal models to deliver light-activated proteins (using harmless viruses) into nerve cells that link the kidney to heart control centers. They will then use light to silence those aorticorenal ganglion neurons and study whether this lowers inflammation in the stellate ganglion and reduces ventricular arrhythmias seen with chronic heart failure. The team hopes this approach can reproduce the benefits of renal denervation without causing the procedure-related complications that limit its clinical use. If the animal work supports the idea, the findings would guide development of safer, more targeted nerve therapies for patients with heart failure and dangerous heart rhythms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this line of work could lead to new treatments that reduce life‑threatening ventricular arrhythmias in people with chronic heart failure while avoiding risks of current kidney-denervation procedures.
How similar studies have gone: Previous renal denervation studies have shown promise in lowering arrhythmias but have been limited by complications, and the optogenetic nerve‑silencing strategy is largely novel and tested mainly in lab animals so far.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Li, Yu-Long — University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Li, Yu-Long
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Optogenetic silence to reduce harmful heart rhythms via kidney nerves in chronic heart failure
A new approach uses light to quiet kidney-nerve signals to lower dangerous heart rhythms in people with chronic heart failure.
-
Stellate Gland Nrf2 Signaling and Heart–Nerve Interactions in Chronic Heart Failure
A study in people is not required; instead, this grant focuses on how the brain and nerves control heart problems in chronic heart failure through a key protective pathway called Nrf2.
-
New immune-based inhibitors to modulate T cells in chronic heart failure
A patient-facing overview of a study exploring how immune cells, especially CD4+ T-cells, influence heart healing and worsening of heart failure after a heart attack, with the goal of finding targeted ways to improve heart function.
-
Cell-directed Immunomodulation to Help with LVAD Surgery in Chronic Heart Failure
A patient-friendly approach tests an immunomodulation device to improve heart and kidney function in people with advanced heart failure who are awaiting LVAD implantation but currently ineligible.
-
Bifidobacterium gut microbiome and heart failure connection
A doctor-scientist at Stanford is studying how the gut bacteria, especially Bifidobacterium, relate to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction to uncover new ways to prevent or treat the condition.
-
Mobile app and personalized text messages to help people manage chronic heart failure
This project combines smartphone apps, connected devices, and tailored text messages to help people with chronic heart failure stick to medications, monitor symptoms, and stay active.
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.