Int'l Centre for Genetic Eng. and Biotechnology 91d ago

Florian Anton Weiberger, Group Leader, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) in Madrid, SPAIN speaks on "Cardiac Repair Mechanisms- Insights from Opto - and Chemogenetic Approaches". Abstract Our group investigates regenerative therapies for heart failure, focusing on stem-cell-based strategies to remuscularize the injured heart and restore function. Using tissue engineering, animal models, and advanced chemogenetic and optogenetic tools, we aim to dissect the mechanisms of cardiac repair. We recently demonstrated, with an optogenetic on-off switch in transplanted cardiomyocytes, that grafted cells can directly contribute to heart function, supporting their therapeutic potential. In parallel, we identified contractility itself as a barrier to regeneration active force generation suppressed cardiomyocyte proliferation, whereas its inhibition reactivated cell cycling. Together, these findings highlight how both the integration of transplanted cardiomyocytes and the modulation of intrinsic regenerative barriers may inform new strategies to restore heart repair.