Understanding how heart nerves affect dangerous heart rhythms after a heart attack
Official title: Sympathetic remodeling and ventricular arrhythmia
Funded at University of California-Irvine · NIH-11565444 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant studies how changes in the heart’s nerve signaling after a heart attack lead to dangerous rhythm problems, with the goal of finding ways to prevent them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $726,750 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL111600-15 |
| Project ID | NIH-11565444 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who have survived a myocardial infarction and are at risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
✕Less likely to help
People without heart disease or those not at risk for post-heart attack arrhythmias may not benefit.
What this research studies
The project builds on prior work that showed altered sympathetic signaling and slower breakdown of cAMP in the post-heart attack heart. Using a novel imaging system and genetically engineered mice, researchers will measure cAMP and norepinephrine signaling in healthy and damaged hearts. They will test whether restoring normal sympathetic innervation can prevent arrhythmias during stress or exercise. The work could point to new targets for preventing ventricular arrhythmias in people who have had a heart attack.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to new strategies or drugs to prevent life-threatening arrhythmias after a heart attack.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies with biosensors and imaging showed altered cAMP handling and partial success in normalizing signaling; this renewal aims to confirm and extend those findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ripplinger, Crystal May — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Ripplinger, Crystal May
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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.