Join this exciting meeting on Regenerative Biology with a great speaker lineup !

We are hiring a new PhD student in #Bioinformatics and Organ #Regeneration using to join our team at the @hubrechtinstitute.bsky.social

If you are interested in how the heart regenerates and want to work in a dynamic and experienced team please apply here.

www.hubrecht.eu/job/phd-stud...

The first Hubrecht symposium was great opportunity to hear about fundamental research and it was a pleasure to participate in it 👏

Thanks for hosting me @merln-um.bsky.social Enjoyed the interactions with staff and students on new approaches for #regeneration #research

Calling all cardiovascular scientists.... @WeinsteinConf is in Milwaukee May 14-16! Abstract submission now open. Registration portal is imminent!

childrenswi.org/weinstein

Are you a trainee and want to be considered for a platform talk - abstract due Feb 21!

Thank you Filipa!

Thanks Ruben!

Thanks!

I can only agree!

👉 Our findings suggest a new model: Hmga1 reactivates silenced developmental genes by clearing repressive chromatin marks. This "pro-regenerative gene program" drives cardiomyocyte proliferation, enabling heart regeneration.

🔬 We also compared Hmga1’s effects on zebrafish and mouse hearts. Both species showed reduced H3K27me3 marks on developmental genes after Hmga1 overexpression, confirming that the regenerative mechanism is conserved across species.

🧪 Importantly, Hmga1 only stimulates cardiomyocyte proliferation in the context of injury. Sham-operated mice with Hmga1 therapy showed no abnormal cell growth. This highlights its potential as a safe and targeted treatment.

🐁 In mouse models, we delivered Hmga1 directly to injured hearts using a viral gene therapy. The results? Controlled cardiomyocyte proliferation in the injury border zone, improved heart function, and no harmful side effects like heart enlargement.

🐟 In zebrafish, Hmga1 is essential for heart regeneration. Without it, cardiomyocyte proliferation is diminished, and the heart cannot recover. When overexpressed, Hmga1 reactivates developmental gene programs.

🧬 Hmga1 works by clearing "roadblocks" in the form of repressive chromatin marks (H3K27me3). These marks keep genes silenced after development. By removing them, Hmga1 reactivates genes needed for cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart repair.

🐟Zebrafish can regenerate their hearts after injury and reactivate dormant embryonic genes in cardiomyocytes. By comparing injury responses in zebrafish and mouse models and using a spatial transcriptomics approach, we identified Hmga1 as a key factor enabling this regeneration.

🫀 Zebrafish protein unlocks dormant genes for mammalian heart repair.

Our work published by @springer1842.bsky.social in Nature CVR uncovers how the protein HMGA1 could unlock mammalian heart repair.

rdcu.be/d5owa

#HeartHealth #Regeneration #Biomedicine #Cardiology

Researchers from @bakkerslab.bsky.social have successfully repaired damaged mouse hearts using a protein from zebrafish. This study marks a promising step toward regenerative therapies to prevent heart failure. Curious? www.hubrecht.eu/zebrafish-pr...

@marabouwman.bsky.social l

Great work showing the power of interspecies comparison to reveal new mechanisms for tissue regeneration!

Excited to share our study on spatio-temporal reconstruction of cardiac scar formation led by Andy Chan. We combine scRNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics to resolve the fibrotic niche and the niche of dedifferentiating cardiomyocytes.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...