Therapeutic strategies to rescue damaged heart

Abstract

Heart failure is a complex and common condition with a poor prognosis and increasing incidence. Unfortunately, end-stage heart failure can only be treated with heart replacement therapy or mechanical support devices, which also have some limitations. The studies described in this dissertation aim to impede the progression of heart failure caused by ischemia/pressure overload by using various strategies such as gene therapy, direct reprogramming from fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes, mechanical unloading induced reverse cardiac remodeling, and the regulation of polyploidy state of cardiomyocytes.