Wataru Kimura, Ph.D., RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research; Osamu Yamaguchi, M.D., Ph.D., Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine; Kinya Otsu, M.D., Ph.D., Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine; Manabu Taneike, M.D., Ph.D., Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine; Masumoto Hidetoshi, M.D., Ph.D., RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
Competition Sponsor: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, and aging is the highest risk factor for CVDs. Novel therapeutic strategies for treating or preventing aging-associated CVDs are needed given not only the developed but also developing countries are rapidly aging. We have previously shown that proliferative cardiomyocytes maintain oxidative metabolism and oxidative stress at a low level (Cell 2014). Furthermore, we identified cycling cardiomyocytes in the adult heart based on the lineage tracing of hypoxic cardiomyocytes (Nature 2015). In addition, we have shown that reduction in oxidative DNA damage is sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte cell cycle re-entry in the adult mammalian heart (JACC 2015; Nature 2017). In this project, we will examine whether cardiomyocyte turnover can be accelerated in the aged heart by modifying oxidative metabolism, and whether this is sufficient to recover and/or prevent aging-associated CV diseases.
To learn more about this proposal email healthylongevity@nas.edu.
View this project poster, first displayed at the 2021 Global Innovator Summit.