Developing novel therapies for type 2 diabetic heart disease using human iPSC-derived multicellular cardiac organoids

More than one million Australians have type-2 diabetes (T2D) and the majority of these people will die from heart disease caused specifically by diabetes (diabetic cardiomyopathy). There are currently no effective treatments for this condition. This project will target different pathways to confer greater and potentially synergistic cardioprotection, using a combination drug therapy tested on a cutting-edge 3D multicellular human cardiac organoid model. The knowledge and skills involved in this project are suitable for students who are interested in stem cell biology, metabolic disease, and heart disease. A student working on this project will have the opportunity to learn various experimental skills, including cell culture, protein and gene analysis, histology and electrophysiology