Riboswitch inducible AAVs that carry RNA therapeutics to elicit cardiac regeneration (iHEART)
Safely turning on and off cardiac regeneration with groundbreaking gene therapy
iHEART brings together leading academic researchers and biotech innovators in a public-private international alliance to develop a therapy that helps the heart repair itself after injury. Our goal is to create a gene therapy that safely controls heart regeneration, offering new hope to patients after heart attacks. By combining advanced gene technology with precise molecular switches, this project could transform the treatment of heart failure.
Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalisation and death worldwide, affecting millions each year. Most cases occur after a heart attack, which damages the heart muscle and reduces its ability to pump blood. Current treatments prolong life but cannot repair damaged heart tissue, leaving patients with a significantly reduced quality of life. As a result, healthcare systems spend billions every year on hospital care, medications, and ongoing support. A therapy that actively repairs the heart could improve recovery, extend life, and cut healthcare costs.
In iHEART, we harness the potential of microRNAs as therapeutic genes to direct heart cells to grow and repair the damaged tissue. To control these therapeutic genes, we combine them with molecular switches called riboswitches to respond to a safe, approved drug, allowing doctors to control regeneration. We deliver this therapy with harmless viral carriers and test their effects in human heart cells and 3D heart tissue models. By combining synthetic biology, regenerative microRNAs, and advanced cell models, we aim to produce a therapy that is safe and effective.By the end of the project, iHEART will deliver optimized gene therapy tools, validated molecular switches, and proof that heart cells can be safely and effectively repaired in cutting-edge in vitro models. If successful, iHEART could lay the foundation for new treatments that restore damaged hearts, improve quality of life, and reduce the societal and economic impact of heart disease.
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