Studies in zebrafish reveal abundant potential source for repair of injured heart muscle
In a study published in the June 19 online edition of the journal Nature, a scientific team led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine visually monitored the dynamic cellular events that take place when cardiac regeneration occurs in zebrafish after cardiac ventricular injury. Their findings provide evidence that various cell lines in the heart are more plastic, or capable of transformation into new cell types, than previously thought. … Read the full story from the UCSD Newsroom
Dr. Neil Chi
Principal investigator of the study is Neil Chi, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology and member of the Institute for Genomic Medicine.
Chi directs the UC San Diego Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic and Cardiac Tissue Harvest and Biorepository Core.
In 2010, he received an NIH Director’s New Innovator Award for his study of cardiac regeneration in zebrafish. He is currently the principal investigator on that project and two R01 grant projects for research in cardiac morphogenesis and cardiac conduction development and disease.
Citation for the report: Zhang R, Han P, Yang H, Ouyang K, Lee D et al. In vivo cardiac reprogramming contributes to zebrafish heart regeneration. Nature (2013) doi:10.1038/nature12322. | Read the full text (UCSD only)
More Information About Dr. Chi:
- Academic profile
- Laboratory website
- NIH research grants
