Grant: Project Grant

Here, we are examining the hypothesis that one protein termed cardiotrophin-1 (CT1), can be used to produce beneficial remodelling of cardiac muscle and thereby improve heart function in various disease settings. Our preliminary observations indicate that treatment of heart muscle cells with CT1 protein leads to a cell growth that is characteristic of physiologic hypertrophy. More importantly, we have shown that use of the CT1 protein in animals leads to changes in heart muscle structure that is remarkably similar to the beneficial changes that occur following endurance exercise training or pregnancy. Our current research application will focus on understanding how CT1 achieves this positive growth (what changes occur in heart muscle cells in response to CT1); whether CT1 alone can improve exercise performance and disease progression in animal models; and whether CT1 also produces other favorable changes in heart structure, in addition to stimulating heart muscle cell growth.