Recent Advances in Cardiac Regeneration

About this Research Topic

Background

Unlike some lower vertebrates which can completely regenerate their heart, the human heart is a terminally differentiated organ. Cardiomyocytes lost during cardiac injury and heart failure cannot be replaced due to their limited proliferative capacity. Therefore, cardiac injury generally leads to progressive failure. In this research topic, we will highlight the latest research progress in methods to induce cardiac regeneration and heart repair through several mechanisms including but not limited to direct induction of cell cycle or modulating transcription factors, miRNA, activation of signaling pathways or metabolic activities to indirectly induce cell cycle of the cardiomyocytes. Other approaches such as direct cardiac reprogramming, direct cell using hiPS-CMs replacement, and modulating cross talk between cardiomyocytes and other cells have been used recently. Cardiac regeneration is an emerging approach as an effective strategy to compensate for the loss of functional cardiomyocytes and improve the impaired heart functions.



Heart failure is the most prominent cause of hospitalization and one of the leading causes of mortality globally. During heart failure progression damaged cardiomyocytes are replaced by fibrotic tissue as cardiomyocytes are not able to regenerate themselves when damaged, a process that is also influenced by cross talk between cardiomyocytes and surrounding cells such as cardiac resident and infiltrating immune cells. This would subsequently trigger cardiac remodeling and heart failure. All the current treatment strategies for heart failure are symptomatic treatments to slow down the progression of heart failure. Hence, heart transplantation, which is eminently scarce and not without complications, is as yet the only cure for heart failure. Spontaneous cardiomyocyte regeneration has been demonstrated in embryonic and neonatal mammals after genetic ablation, apical resection, or myocardial infarction. Adult cardiomyocyte proliferation, turnover, has been reported as minimal in human hearts and in rodents. This research topic aims to gather the recent progress in the methods and targets to promote cardiac regeneration such as induction of adult cardiomyocyte proliferation, direct reprogramming of the cardiac fibroblasts, cell crosstalk, and direct cell replacement using hiPS-CMs. The current research topic will highlight the new possibilities to enhance the heart regenerative capacity that might lead to new effective therapeutic approaches for heart failure.



This Research Topic welcomes research that examines the following:



 Approaches for direct induction of cell cycle in cardiomyocytes

 Identification of transcription factors which can regulate cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity

 microRNAs which control cell cycle activity in cardiomyocytes

 Methods to activate signaling pathways which could stimulate cell cycle in cardiomyocytes

 Identification of metabolic activities and regulators which could influence cell cycle in cardiomyocytes

 Novel approaches for direct cardiac reprogramming

 Methods for direct cell replacement using hiPS-CMs or other cell types.

 improve generation and survival of iPSC-CM

 hiPS-CMs 3D tissue for direct cell replacement

 Other cell therapy such as CAR-T cells, MSC, and Muse cells.

 Identify the role of immune cells in cardiomyocyte survival and cardiac regeneration

Keywords: Heart, Regeneration, cell cycle, microRNA, direct reprogramming, hiPS-CMs

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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