Generation of highly regenerative human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived epicardial cells for cardiac repair and regeneration

• Project/Area Number: 22K16137
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 53020:Cardiology-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Lucena.Cacace Antonio 京都大学, iPS細胞研究所, 特定研究員 (60832748)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2023: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000); Fiscal Year 2022: ¥2,470,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥570,000)
• Keywords: regeneration / epicardium / hiPSC-EPI / heart / cell cycle

Outline of Research at the Start

The clarified mechanism will elucidate the cellular signaling regulated by regenerative factors on epicardial cell reactivation and thus provide a better understanding of the fundamental biology behind cardiac regeneration processes in non-human neonates. As proof, this proposal aims to create an in vitro platform to create highly regenerative hiPSC-EPI cells to evaluate the in vivo capacity of these cells to foster cellular repopulation and thus ameliorate the effects caused by cardiac injuries such as myocardial infarction.