What controls scarring in diseased hearts
Official title: Signaling Mechanisms Governing Myocardial Fibrosis in Diseased Heart
Funded at Louisiana State Univ Hsc Shreveport · NIH-11435247 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing a new drug that blocks a protein called GSK-3α to try to reduce heart scarring in adults with heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Louisiana State Univ Hsc Shreveport NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Shreveport, United States) |
| Project start | November 3, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $553,352 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL133290-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11435247 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with chronic heart failure characterized by increased heart scarring would be the likely eventual target population for treatments based on this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without fibrotic heart disease, children, or patients whose heart problems have other causes may not benefit from therapies targeting these fibrosis pathways.
What this research studies
The research team will use newly developed mouse models that let them turn off GSK-3α or GSK-3β specifically in heart fibroblast cells to see how those proteins change scarring. They will test a GSK-3α-specific drug in these models to see if it limits fibrosis and improves heart tissue. The work will also map the signaling pathways involved, including RAF-MEK-ERK and TGF-β1/SMAD-3 interactions, to understand how blocking GSK-3α helps and how GSK-3β protects against scarring. Findings are meant to guide development of therapies that could eventually be tested in people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new treatments that reduce harmful scar tissue in failing hearts and improve heart function and symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory studies in mice from this group showed that blocking GSK-3α reduces fibrosis while GSK-3β limits fibrosis, but there is not yet an approved human therapy targeting these proteins.
Where this research is happening
-
Louisiana State Univ Hsc Shreveport
Shreveport, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lal, Hind — Louisiana State Univ Hsc Shreveport
- Study coordinator: Lal, Hind
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Interface between immune cells and scarring in the eye
This grant looks at how immune cells influence scar formation in the cornea after injury and how this affects vision.
-
How often to treat schistosomiasis to protect the liver
A randomized trial will test different frequencies ofPraziquantel treatment to prevent liver damage in people aged 15–40 with schistosomiasis in Uganda.
-
Metabolic changes in cells that repair blood vessels in the eye lens to prevent scarring
A drug or approach that changes how certain cells that repair blood vessels in the eye work, to prevent scarring behind the retina in age-related macular degeneration patients treated with anti-VEGF therapy.
-
Myocardial fibrosis and fat in ART-treated women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This project studies heart tissue changes in women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa who are on antiretroviral therapy, to understand why they’re at higher risk for heart problems as they age.
-
Myocardial fibrosis and fat in ART-treated women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This grant studies heart tissue changes in women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to understand why heart failure risk is higher in this group.
-
Molecular clues to progressive lung scarring
Researchers are studying how lung tissue becomes progressively scarred, focusing on cell signals and receptors that may drive fibrosis in people with lung disease.
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.