Reawakening the adult heart's ability to regrow after injury
Official title: Metabolic Reprogramming of the Adult Heart to a Regenerative State
Funded at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute · NIH-11409640 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries to change heart cell metabolism to help adults regrow heart muscle after a heart attack.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | March 15, 2023 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $517,727 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL166256-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11409640 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who have had a myocardial infarction or have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction would be the primary future candidates for this approach.
✕Less likely to help
People with non-ischemic cardiomyopathies, pediatric patients, or those ineligible for metabolic therapies may not benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
Researchers are exploring whether shifting heart cells' metabolism can make the adult heart return to a younger, regenerative state. In mice they block a mitochondrial enzyme called succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) using a compound called malonate after a heart attack to spur heart muscle cell division and new blood vessel growth. The team will use laboratory and animal experiments to map how this metabolic change prompts repair and to test whether restoring heart structure improves function. This work aims to lay the groundwork for future treatments that could be tested in people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could help restore lost heart muscle and improve recovery and heart function after heart attacks.
How similar studies have gone: Related metabolic reprogramming approaches have shown promising heart repair in animal models, but they remain largely untested in human patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mahmoud, Ahmed I — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Mahmoud, Ahmed I
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.