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The NEWHEART projects develop a new treatment option after heart attacks / ERC funding of 150,000 euros over 18 months allows researchers to explore the commercial or societal potential of their work
Dr Jane Reznick, Principal Investigator at the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research, has received a ‘Proof of Concept’ grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for her research project ‘From Naked Mole-Rat to Preclinical Pig: Advancing a Regenerative Factor for Myocardial Infarction’ (NEWHEART). This funding line aims at exploring the commercial or societal potential of an ongoing or completed ERC-funded project. The Proof of Concept grant amounts to a lump sum of 150,000 euros. NEWHEART explores a new approach that could improve therapy after heart attacks. The project is also testing whether the new method is both clinically feasible and commercially viable. It builds on Reznick’s project ‘Naked Mole-Rats to Mice: Metabolic Reprogramming to Prevent Ischaemic Injury’, for which she received an ERC Starting Grant.
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide. A heart attack results in the permanent loss of heart muscle cells, scarring of the tissue, and progression to heart failure. Current therapies primarily limit damage and alleviate symptoms, but they cannot replace lost heart muscle or regenerate the heart. Jane Reznick and her team have discovered that the naked mole rat is the only adult mammal that can repair its own heart. After an injury, scars disappear, new heart muscle cells regenerate, and heart function is restored. This unique ability of the naked mole rat provides an opportunity to identify factors that may also promote the regeneration of the adult human heart.
The researchers have identified a previously uncharacterized protein from the extracellular matrix of naked mole rats that is activated by injury. The extracellular matrix forms the structural scaffold of cells in the body. It provides the tissue with shape and stability and transmits signals that influence cell behaviour, growth, and repair. When this unique naked mole rat protein was administered to mice after a heart attack, a regenerative effect was observed in the laboratory, and the formation of scar tissue was inhibited.
In the NEWHEART project, this approach is being further developed for the treatment of patients after a heart attack. The therapy aims to promote the generation of new heart muscle cells, slow the formation of scar tissue, and better regulate the heart’s natural repair processes.
The approach developed by Reznick and her team will initially be tested in pigs, whose hearts closely resemble the human heart in size, structure, and function. This animal model will generate critical data on the effectiveness and safety of this novel treatment, forming the basis for the development of future applications in humans. The project has the potential to fundamentally change treatment after a heart attack and help prevent heart failure.
The Proof of Concept (PoC) grant can be awarded in addition to the main grants of the ERC (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, and Synergy Grant). It is therefore exclusively made available to principal investigators who already hold an ERC Grant and wish to further develop ideas arising from current or already completed ERC-funded projects to market readiness or for the direct benefit of society.
Press and Communications Team:
Jan Voelkel
+49 221 470 2356
j.voelkel@verw.uni-koeln.de
Press Spokesperson: Dr Elisabeth Hoffmann - e.hoffmann@verw.uni-koeln.de
Dr Jane Reznick
Principal Investigator
CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research
+49 221 478 84135
jane.reznick@uk-koeln.de
https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/proof-concept-grants-2025-examples-projec...
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