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CureHeart

Editorials

Alexander Sparrow

BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD

Senior Postdoctoral Researcher

My research combines understanding the molecular mechanisms of inherited cardiomyopathies and developing genetic therapies. As a senior postdoctoral researcher on CureHeart I am developing innovative gene editing tools to correct the genetic variants that cause inherited cardiomyopathies.

 I have studied inherited genetic variants in genes that encode for proteins involved in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic (HCM) and dilated (DCM) cardiomyopathy. My work has developed myofilament specific genetically encoded calcium sensors for the study of subcellular calcium dynamics in cardiomyocytes expressing HCM and DCM mutations.

 My work utilises human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived cardiomyocytes as a cellular model when investigating inherited cardiomyopathies. Current induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes more closely resemble embryonic rather than adult cardiomyocytes. I have developed maturation protocols which produce an improved human cellular model to study inherited cardiomyopathies.

 We are now using patient derived hiPSCs from patients with inherited cardiomyopathies to study disease mechanisms and test genetic therapies.