Cats suffering from heart diseases like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are at a high risk of sudden death. However, mechanisms of feline HCM development are poorly understood, and treatment for this disease is largely extrapolated from human HCM therapies with little evidence that these therapies are actually effective for cats. The problems could be overcome by the recent breakthrough in cellular reprogramming of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). IPSCs generated from somatic cells are functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells, and they can differentiate into any tissue cells including cardiomyocytes. The researchers will generate iPSCs from somatic cells of cats with genetic causative mutation for HCM disease, and the iPSCs can be generated in vitro into disease-‐specific heart cells that can display feline HCM cellular phenotype. This study will provide a unique platform to investigate HCM disease development and to test therapeutic drugs for this disease. (Ricky Fund Study)
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