Thin-filament heart muscle disease: causes and ways to block it
Official title: PATHOGENESIS AND IN VIVO SUPPRESSION OF THIN FILAMENT-BASED CARDIOMYOPATHIES
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11242014 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how small changes in heart muscle proteins cause inherited cardiomyopathy and seeks ways to stop those changes from damaging the heart.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2015 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $490,415 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL124091-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11242014 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with inherited cardiomyopathies linked to thin-filament proteins (for example, actin or troponin mutations) would be the most relevant patient group.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose heart disease is caused by unrelated factors (like coronary artery disease or hypertension) are unlikely to benefit directly from this grant's findings.
What this research studies
From a patient's view, researchers will trace how tiny chemical changes and inherited mutations in the thin-filament proteins of heart muscle alter how the heart contracts. They will use fruit flies and mice engineered to carry human protein changes, watch heart function with high-speed imaging, and examine protein structures with cryo-electron microscopy. Computer models and mechanical tests of purified proteins will link molecular changes to tissue-level heart problems. The team aims to find molecular points where interventions could prevent or reduce muscle damage.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify molecular targets for new treatments that prevent or lessen cardiomyopathy caused by thin-filament protein changes.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory and animal studies have mapped many thin-filament defects and helped explain some cardiomyopathies, but this integrative approach using human actin variants in flies together with cryo-EM and mouse models is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cammarato, Anthony — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Cammarato, Anthony
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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.