We are pleased to present Aswathi Gopalakrishnan to speak on: A Human IPSC-based cardiac tissue model to understand Age-related Heart Failure

 Date: Thursday, 14th April

Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Venue: AIBN Level 1 Seminar Room and Online Via Zoom

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Abstract

This research project is aimed at developing an in vitro model of cardiac tissue ageing to investigate age-related Heart Failure (HF), the dominant mode of HF in the Australian adult population aged 65 and over. Although HF is being extensively studied for therapeutic interventions, there are no effective treatments for age-related HF and the intrinsic role of cardiac ageing in the onset and progression of this disease is poorly understood, making it an ill-defined major health issue. Whilst there are many possible causative factors underlying age-related HF, fibrosis is a dominant impactor on the observed diastolic functional loss in the elderly population. By coupling a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac tissue model with programmable expression of an age-related protein in the nuclear membrane of desired cell types, this project focusses on understanding the potential drivers behind the onset and persistence of fibrosis in cardiac tissue and the potential for Mechano-Medicine as a therapeutic strategy. Outcomes from this work could prove beneficial for the development of targeted treatment regimens, providing significant benefits for the Australian (and global) health sector, given our vulnerable ageing population.

Email: a.gopalakrishnan@uq.edu.au

 

Bio

Aswathi is a final year PhD student at Cooper-White group. Having completed her Bachelors in Biotechnology from National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC), India, Aswathi was keen on specialising her research. Her passion for understanding basic biology at the molecular level, to contribute to personalised medicine urged her to start a master’s in molecular medicine. She completed her postgraduate research on micropatterning of hydrogels for differentiation of hiPSCs at Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine (ACNSMM), India.

 

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About AIBN Seminar Series

The AIBN Seminar series showcases a range of seminars across different topics and disciplines