Like other organs, the heart forms scar tissue in response to stress or injury. Cardiac fibroblasts are the cells in the heart responsible for regulating production and degradation of scar tissue. Funding from the ISCRM fellowship will allow Charlie to investigate why this scar tissue remains even after the injury is resolved. He will study how p38 MAPK, a key stress response pathway, causes fibroblasts to stay active over time, helping explain why scar tissue in the heart becomes persistent during chronic disease.
