Project 04: Molecular phenotyping of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from DCM and HCM patients
PI London: E. Ehler; PI Göttingen: K. Streckfuß-Bömeke; PhD student: B.K. Ormrod - finished PhD
The project focuses on using and validating induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) as a model system to determine alterations at the cellular level, that are seen in cardiomyopathies in situ. iPSCs will be generated from patients with either hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or dilated cardiomyopathy and differentiated into cardiomyocytes in vitro to allow the study of their cytoarchitecture using immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. The IRTG 1816 Ph.D. student will aim to molecularly phenotype the cells to establish markers for dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and will also be challenging the iPSC-CMs by mechanical or humoral stress and identifying the effects of different culture conditions (e.g. 2D versus 3D) on the status of their maturation.
Research interests: Cytoarchitecture during cardiomyocyte development and disease: myofibrillogenesis, dilated cardiomyopathy, sarcomere, cytoskeleton, intercalated disc, M-band, formin ( FHOD3, FHOD1)
Research interests: Patient-specific induced pluripotent cells, cardiac disease modelling, cardiac regeneration
PhD student IRTG 1816, KCL
Current Position: Trainee Patent Attorny, Kilburn & Strode LLP, London, UK