To use tropoelastin and platelet-derived growth factor to produce a second-generation stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes product with enhanced engraftment and function for the treatment of heart failure.
Meeting the increasing demand for long-term heart failure treatment
There remains no cure for the critical and intractable health issue of severe heart failure. For patients in this position, the condition is potentially life-threatening, with 50% of those at stage IV dying within a year of diagnosis. Heart transplantation is currently the only viable long-term option, but there remains a world-wide shortage of donors. Australia’s ageing population and improved heart attack survival rates means that more patients are living with chronic heart failure. There will never be enough donor hearts to meet this rising demand. This unmet need places an enormous burden on society. This project will advance cellular therapy towards an enduring clinical therapy that could dramatically decrease patient suffering, premature death and health care costs from hospital readmissions.
Lab-grown heart cells to treat damaged hearts
The long-term aim of this project is to change the standard for stem-cell derived cardiomyocyte therapy for heart failure and increase success of early phase clinical trials that have already started globally. This projectaims to use Tropoelastin and platelet-derived growth factor to produce second-generation stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes,with enhanced engraftment for the treatment of heart failure. High-throughput platforms and cutting-edge spatial biology, combined with validated animal models will be used to enhance stem-cell derived cardiomyocyte engraftment in the damaged heart tissue.