Federal Grant Award Summary

Emory University received a $498,155 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), effective July 1, 2026 through March 31, 2030. The award funds basic research investigating the mechanisms controlling macrophage response during heart regeneration in zebrafish models. The project addresses fundamental questions about how the inflammatory-to-regenerative transition occurs following cardiac injury, with particular focus on macrophage phenotypic heterogeneity, epicardial cell activation, and molecular signaling pathways that facilitate cardiomyocyte proliferation and tissue repair.

The research deliverables include mechanistic characterization of dynamic macrophage populations using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and transgenic reporter analyses to understand how early injury-associated macrophages are cleared while reparative macrophages are recruited and retained. By elucidating these regeneration mechanisms in the zebrafish model system, the project aims to generate foundational knowledge that can inform therapeutic strategies to promote cardiac regeneration and prevent heart failure in mammals—the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Research will be conducted at Emory University's Atlanta, Georgia campus.