The Cardiomyocyte Renewal team has been prominently featured in this spotlight story from Circulation, “Spotlight on YAP: Unlocking New Insights to Overcome the Barriers to Heart Regeneration,” for their groundbreaking work on the Hippo/YAP pathway and its potential to revolutionize heart regeneration. Their research explores how precise modulation of YAP, a critical protein in cardiomyocyte proliferation, can address key challenges in heart repair following injury.

This recognition underscores the innovative contributions of Dr. James Martin’s team to advancing cardiovascular science and opens new possibilities for developing targeted treatments for heart failure and myocardial infarction recovery.

The editorial highlights two articles from the team on novel mechanisms of YAP in cardiomyocyte renewal. The first, “Microtubules Sequester Acetylated YAP in the Cytoplasm and Inhibit Heart Regeneration,” explores YAP acetylation and its impact on cellular behavior, providing critical insights into therapeutic strategies that could transform the field of regenerative cardiology. Congratulations and thanks to Dr. Shijie Liu, lead author, and co-authors Drs. Vaibhav Deshmukh, Fansen Meng, Jun Wang, and James Martin.

The second groundbreaking article, “YAP Overcomes Mechanical Barriers to Induce Mitotic Rounding and Adult Cardiomyocyte Division,” sheds new light on cell cycle arrest in adult cardiomyocytes and offers an expanded set of potential therapeutic targets for heart regeneration. Congratulations and thanks to Dr. Yuka Morikawa, lead author, and co-authors Drs. Jong H. Kim, Rich Gang Li, Lin Liu, and James Martin.

Read the Spotlight on YAP: Unlocking New Insights to Overcome the Barriers to Heart Regeneration at Circulation, here.