Dr. Maxwell Awarded JFF Pilot Grant

"The Role of Paracrine Factors in Cardiac Progenitor Cell-mediated Cardiac Regeneration"
Josh Maxwell, PhD (Emory University)

Stem cells such as cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have shown promise in restoring cardiac function in pediatric population for various cardiac pathologies including heart failure. However, it has yet to be determined whether stem cells mediate repair of the heart by direct differentiation of transferred cells or modulation of endogenous repair by the release of paracrine factors. Therefore, the project will examine the mechanism mediating the regenerative capacity of pediatric CPCs by characterizing the paracrine factors released by pediatric CPCs and determining their effect on cardiac cells in vitro.