Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Alabama at Birmingham received a $117,200 Project Grant award dated July 15, 2026, from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). The award supports research to improve electrical integration of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac tissue with host heart tissue. The project addresses a critical gap in cardiac regenerative medicine by investigating electrical coupling mechanisms between implanted cardiomyocytes (CMs) and native myocardium in a porcine myocardial infarction model. Specifically, the research aims to overcome two identified challenges: sparse electrical coupling along the host-graft interface and slow electrical conduction within the graft tissue, both of which impede functional remuscularization and create pro-arrhythmic risks.

The project, with a completion date of July 1, 2030, will deliver experimental research outcomes and technical findings on cellular electrical integration mechanisms that inform the development of improved hiPSC-derived cardiac therapies. Research deliverables will include characterization of electrical properties of implanted grafts using the investigative team's newly developed technical platform capable of detecting electrical activity deep within host myocardium, as well as evidence-based approaches to enhance synchronous contraction between graft and host tissue to reduce arrhythmia risk. These findings will contribute to the broader NHLBI portfolio of translational cardiovascular research supporting the prevention and treatment of heart disease.