New drugs to control T‑cell activity in long‑term heart failure
Official title: Novel Inhibitors for Temporal Modulation of T-Lymphocytes during Chronic Heart Failure
Funded at Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr · NIH-11138696 · Data updated 2026-11-12
New medicines aim to calm specific immune T‑cells to protect the heart in people with chronic heart failure after a heart attack.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $609,220 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL167912-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11138696 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with chronic heart failure following a prior heart attack, especially those showing progressive decline in heart function months after the MI, are the most relevant group.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose heart failure is not related to a prior heart attack or who do not have immune-driven inflammation may not benefit from these approaches.
What this research studies
This project develops targeted inhibitors to change how T‑lymphocytes behave weeks to months after a heart attack, when they can drive harmful heart remodeling. Researchers will use laboratory and animal models to pinpoint the molecular switches that make T‑cells damaging during chronic heart failure and to design drugs that hit those switches at the right time. They will measure heart function, scarring, inflammation, and immune cells to see if timed treatment prevents worsening heart failure. The work is done at Penn State Hershey and could guide future human treatments or trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to treatments that reduce immune-driven heart damage and slow or prevent progression of heart failure after a heart attack.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies showed that removing certain immune cells can limit harmful remodeling after MI, but creating timed, targeted T‑cell inhibitors is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
Hershey, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bansal, Shyam Sunder — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Bansal, Shyam Sunder
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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.