Otsu Lab
Principal Investigator:
Kinya Otsu, MD, PhD
Leducq Lab Members:
Jumpei Ito, PhD (Leducq fellow)
Tomokazu Murakawa, MD, PhD
Contribution to the network:
The Otsu Lab has long-standing expertise in the molecular mechanisms of heart failure with particular focuses on autophagy, apoptosis, and necrosis. Our group contributes to this network’s expertise in autophagy, mitophagy, and inflammation in the heart.
The goal of our studies in the network is to understand the role of autophagy and mitophagy in the genesis of heart failure in response to hemodynamic stress.
Our hypothesis is that autophagy and mitophagy is involved in the homeostasis of cardiomyocytes and their dysregulation leads to inflammation and heart failure.
Significance: We will elucidate the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy and its regulatory mechanisms in the heart. In addition, we shall investigate the role of lysosomal function in the regulation of inflammation. This project would lead to identification of therapeutic targets to treat patients with heart failure.