Cardiomyocyte death is a common feature of many forms of heart disease. Since the myocardium lacks a substantive endogenous regenerative potential, cardiomyocyte death is essentially irreversible. It has recently become apparent that exogenous myocytes can be successfully engrafted into the adult myocardium, thereby increasing the number of cells present in the heart. This procedure may be of considerable therapeutic value if engrafted cells can augment function in a diseased heart. Indeed, strategies aimed at increasing myocyte number was viewed with the highest priority by the NHLBI Special Emphasis Panel on Heart Failure Research and by this RFA. However, several rather formidable issues and obstacles must be addressed before any therapy based on myocyte engraftment can be realized. The five highly integrated Collaborative RO1s is proposed herein are designed to directly address these issues. A major goal of the proposed studies is to establish the fate of donor cells following engraftment. Particular emphasis being placed on identifying factor(s) which enhance donor cell viability (Dr. Kedes), and on determining the degree to which donor and host myocytes can interact (Field and Murry). Other studies (Field, Murry and Hauschka) will establish the relative merits of a variety of different donor cells (fetal cardiomyocytes, skeletal myoblasts, ES- and EC- derived cardiomyocytes, and smooth muscle cells). Particular emphasis will be placed on weighing the issue of donor cell availability vs. the function characteristics of their respective grafts. Functional analyses of the engrafted hearts will rely largely on highly sensitive 2D echocardiography (Kloner). These latter studies will also establish to what degree cellular engraftment has a direct vs. indirect effect on cardiac function (that is, participation in contractile force generation vs. a positive effect on remodeling). The assembled investigators have established track records in the relatively new field of cardiac engraftment, and additionally bring a diverse spectrum of experimental expertise which collectively provide a comprehensive battery of molecular, cellular and functional experimental methods.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL061488-05
Application #
6627474
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-F (S1))
Program Officer
Reinlib, Leslie
Project Start
1999-01-11
Project End
2004-12-31
Budget Start
2003-01-01
Budget End
2004-12-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$265,750
Indirect Cost
Name
Good Samaritan Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
052389657
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90017
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Dai, Wangde; Hale, Sharon L; Martin, Bradley J et al. (2005) Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in postinfarcted rat myocardium: short- and long-term effects. Circulation 112:214-23
Wold, Loren E; Dai, Wangde; Sesti, Casilde et al. (2004) Stem cell therapy for the heart. Congest Heart Fail 10:293-301
Leor, Jonathan; Battler, Alexander; Kloner, Robert A et al. (2003) Reprogramming cells for transplantation. Heart Fail Rev 8:285-92
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Yao, Mu; Dieterle, Thomas; Hale, Sharon L et al. (2003) Long-term outcome of fetal cell transplantation on postinfarction ventricular remodeling and function. J Mol Cell Cardiol 35:661-70
Reffelmann, Thorsten; Dow, Joan S; Dai, Wangde et al. (2003) Transplantation of neonatal cardiomyocytes after permanent coronary artery occlusion increases regional blood flow of infarcted myocardium. J Mol Cell Cardiol 35:607-13
Reffelmann, Thorsten; Hale, Sharon L; Dow, Joan S et al. (2003) No-reflow phenomenon persists long-term after ischemia/reperfusion in the rat and predicts infarct expansion. Circulation 108:2911-7
Barbash, Israel M; Chouraqui, Pierre; Baron, Jack et al. (2003) Systemic delivery of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to the infarcted myocardium: feasibility, cell migration, and body distribution. Circulation 108:863-8

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