Mapping the Human Heart
Organ Specific Project - Heart
This effort aims to create detailed maps of the healthy human heart at a very tiny level, helping us understand how it works throughout life.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hosp of Philadelphia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11087701 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Our hearts are incredibly complex, with many different parts and cell types working together. We don't fully understand how these individual cells and structures function and interact. This work will create comprehensive, publicly available maps of normal human hearts, looking closely at individual cells and their unique features across different ages. These maps will help researchers better understand the healthy heart, which is crucial for learning about heart diseases.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational work is not directly recruiting patients for treatment but may involve collecting tissue samples or data from healthy individuals or those undergoing procedures where tissue can be ethically obtained.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate treatment for a specific heart condition would not directly benefit from this foundational atlas project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work will provide a foundational understanding of the healthy human heart, which is essential for developing new ways to prevent and treat heart conditions.
How similar studies have performed: While similar efforts exist for other organs, creating such a comprehensive, single-cell resolution atlas of the entire human heart across the lifespan is a novel and ambitious undertaking.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- Children's Hosp of Philadelphia — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pei, Liming — Children's Hosp of Philadelphia
- Study coordinator: Pei, Liming
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.