NO SCAR

NeurOtransmitter Signaling: a central hub in CArdiac Regeneration

 Dr. rer. nat. Manu Beerens (Junior Group Leader) and Dr. Nicholas Leigh

 Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine

 Co-applicant university: Lund University

 Term: 2023-2025

We recently discovered that a chemical typically released from nerves (i.e., neurotransmitters) controls heart muscle cell function, but whether it also plays a role during heart regeneration remains unknown. We will combine our complementary expertise in animal models with an innate ability to regenerate their hearts (i.e., salamanders), advanced bioinformatics, and cardiac electrophysiology to identify the precise role of this typically nerve-related factor in heart regeneration. Ultimately, this project has the potential to inform future therapeutics and identify neurotransmitters as novel druggable targets to reduce cardiac damage and improve patient outcomes after heart attack.