B01
Analysis of ventricular hypertrophy under physiological and pathological conditions in the zebrafish model
Tissue fibrosis and the loss of contractile cardiomyocytes are hallmarks of maladaptive right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) in patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension (PH). We identified a central signaling axis that prevents maladaptive remodeling after ventricular cryo-injury in zebrafish and promotes tissue regeneration: canonical Il11/Jak/Stat3 signaling. We now aim to decipher the precise cellular and genetic mechanisms that orchestrate cardiac regeneration or fibrosis downstream of il11ra and employ the unique opportunities our model of fibrosis offers in order to identify novel small molecule inhibitors that reduce the observed fibrotic response.
