High-dimensional profiling of cardiac cellular heterogeneity: Identifying novel cellular protagonists of cardiac ageing and disease, 2 May

A special Hudson seminar to be held in Block E Level 4 Seminar Room on Wednesday 2 May, 12-1pm 

Our speaker will be Dr. Alex Pinto, Research Scientist from Jackson Laboratory (USA). 

He will be presenting "High-dimensional profiling of cardiac cellular heterogeneity: Identifying novel cellular protagonists of cardiac ageing and disease"

Abstract

Characterisation of the cardiac cellulome—the network of cells that form the heart—is essential for understanding cardiac development and normal organ function, and for formulating precise therapeutic strategies to combat heart disease. Recent studies have challenged assumptions about both the cellular composition and functional significance of the cardiac non-myocyte cell pool, with unexpected roles identified for resident fibroblasts and immune cell populations. However, fundamental questions remain regarding the cellular composition of the heart. We are yet to achieve fine-grained analysis of the full range of cells that form the heart, and of the interactions between these cells; we have only limited understanding of the role of cardiac cells and cell networks in tissue homeostasis, development and disease. To address these gaps in our knowledge, we have characterised the murine non-myocyte cardiac cellular landscape using high-dimensional cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq). These studies have revealed the diversity of cell types within the cardiac cellulome and facilitated the development of novel techniques to isolate understudied cardiac cell populations such as mural cells and glia. Our analyses have revealed networks of intercellular communication as well as extensive sexual dimorphisms in gene expression and cell abundances in the heart. These studies offer new insights into the structure and function of the mammalian cardiac cellulome and will inform new studies in cardiac cell biology.

Brief Biography

Dr Alexander Pinto is a Research Scientist at the Jackson Laboratory (USA). His research group studies and seeks to therapeutically manipulate cardiac cells and cell networks. Dr Pinto’s group completed the first systematic characterisation of cardiac tissue macrophages in the heart and, building on this, has profiled cardiac cellular heterogeneity, transforming our understanding of the cell types that form the heart. Dr Pinto’s team recently published the first transcriptomic analysis of the cardiac cellular ecosystem, revealing the complexity and interconnectedness of cell populations in the heart. Dr Pinto’s research employs data science approaches and novel genetic tools to better understand cardiac cell networks in development and homeostasis and how they may be manipulated to treat disease. Before joining the Jackson Laboratory, Dr Pinto completed his postdoctoral training at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Rome, Italy) and the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI, Melbourne, Australia).