Kaushal Laboratory

Researchers at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute’s Kaushal Laboratory are leading studies in the use of cardiac mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to address cardiac stem cell therapies for heart failure. Their basic science research includes, among others, studies of: intravenous administration of neonatal mesenchymal stem cells (nMSCs) and its effect on functional recovery in a renal ischemia-reperfusion injury rodent model; nMSCs and cardiac functional recovery in a porcine model of acute myocardial infarction; and GDF-15’s function in preserving MSC-mediated right ventricular function in a porcine pressure-overload model.

These bench research studies, among others, form the basis for potential clinical trials using cardiac stem cells to address heart failure secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure due to cardiomyopathy secondary to single ventricle anatomy or following myocardial infarction, and using cardiac mesenchymal stem cells to ameliorate the deleterious effects of cardiopulmonary bypass by decreasing post-bypass inflammatory response and improving left ventricular function.