Gooch receives $154,000 grant to study cellular mechanisms of heart failure

Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Keith Gooch and Nationwide Children’s Hospital Principal Investigator Pam Lucchesi have received a two-year $154,000 grant from the American Heart Association to study how cardiac fibroblast changes can contribute to heart failure.

More than 5.7 million Americans are living with heart failure. In fact, the American Heart Association says it’s one of the most common reasons people age 65 and older go into the hospital.

Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are the most abundant cell type in the heart and adapt to extracellular cues such as growth factors, neurohormones and mechanical stress. Under normal conditions, CFs regulate and maintain proper left ventricular structure and mechanical stability. In response to injury and mechanical stress—such as a heart attack—CFs undergo changes in an attempt to repair damage. Under chronic stress, however, these CF changes contribute to adverse remodeling of the heart’s structure and ultimately heart failure.

Using a combination of animal and cell culture studies, Gooch and Lucchesi will examine the molecular mechanisms regulating the dysfunction of CFs in response to mechanical changes in the heart, such as blood flow and pressure changes, before heart failure begins. Their goal is to discover optimal early-stage heart failure treatments and limit the adverse remodeling that occurs as it progresses.

Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Jun Liu is also a consultant on the research project.