Role of heart muscle structure in how the heart beats
Official title: Establishing the role of structural elements in cardiac muscle contraction
Funded at Florida State University · NIH-11445463 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new NIH grant is exploring how specific parts of heart muscle proteins affect heart contraction and could lead to targeted therapies for hereditary heart diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tallahassee, United States) |
| Project start | July 25, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $703,101 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL179825-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11445463 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with hereditary cardiomyopathies (like DCM or HCM) or those carrying related genetic mutations who may benefit from future targeted therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without inherited heart muscle disease or related genetic mutations may not directly benefit from this specific mechanistic study.
What this research studies
This project looks at how tiny parts of the heart’s calcium-regulated proteins influence the way the heart muscle tightens and relaxes. Using specially engineered mice, researchers will study how changes in the cardiac troponin C protein affect contraction and response to calcium. The goal is to identify actionable targets in the thin filament system that could guide new treatments for conditions like dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The work combines advanced genetics, biophysics, and disease-focused biology to better understand why some mutations cause disease. If successful, findings could pave the way for novel drugs that improve heart function in patients with related genetic conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new therapies that improve heart function for people with certain hereditary cardiomyopathies.
How similar studies have gone: There is precedent for targeting cardiac muscle regulation mechanisms, with recent approvals for myotropes, but this project focuses on a less-explored thin-filament region and holds potential for novel targets.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida State University
Tallahassee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pinto, Jose Renato — Florida State University
- Study coordinator: Pinto, Jose Renato
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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.