Genetic cardiomyopathies arise from DNA errors that disrupt vital heart proteins and can be fatal in childhood. This research improves heart-targeted gene therapy by guiding treatments through the bloodstream using chemokine “traffic signals” and avoiding immune interference, enabling therapies to reach the heart more efficiently and potentially cure inherited heart disease.

This research investigates using light-sensitive proteins to control cardiac electrical activity and treat arrhythmias. By precisely guiding heart rhythms with light rather than drugs or shocks, the study identifies proteins capable of suppressing dangerous premature signals, offering a reversible, non-invasive alternative to current heart disease treatments.

This research explores how tissue-resident macrophages guide immature heart muscle cells during early development. By identifying immune signals that enable scar-free heart regeneration in newborns, the work aims to uncover therapeutic pathways that could restore regenerative capacity and improve outcomes for patients with heart disease.