Modeling cardiac fibrosis in a dish with human iPSC-derived fibroblasts

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in Canada and is a progressive disease characterized by impaired heart function that can ultimately lead to heart failure, with a rising incidence and a 5-year survival rate of only 50%. Advanced cases of heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are referred for mechanical circulatory support and/or heart transplantation. We are trying to generate a “Heart-in-a-Dish”, allowing us to model disease and test treatments in patients with diagnosed cardiovascular disease. This will provide an opportunity to develop new treatments for a range of clinically important cardiovascular diseases. Our primary aims are to develop a “bedside to bench to bedside” path for cardiovascular disease modelling and to generate tools to evaluate pharmacologic and functional profiles in physiologically relevant systems in the context of heart disease. From blood samples, we can 1) generate and validate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generate relevant cell types in the heart and 2) characterize functional properties of cardiac fibroblasts which become activated in the disease and drive disease progression. We want to develop new medications to impact this disease progression.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jason Tanny

Student:

Partner:

Stem Cell Network;Telescope Therapeutics

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McGill University

Program: