Provided is a method for treating diseases related to cardiac tissue damage or cardiac insufficiency in a subject. The method includes the step of locally applying a mesenchymal stem cell sheet such as an umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet to the heart of the subject. Also provided are related use and compositions of the mesenchymal stem cell sheet.

Methods and compositions are provided for expanding coronary artery networks in an adult mammal in vivo, by increasing activity or expression of the transcription factor DACH1 in capillary endothelial cells. Compositions and kits for practicing the methods and/or for use with the systems of the disclosure are also provided.

The present invention provides a method of lowering blood pressure in a subject, comprising genetically modifying a myosin phosphatase target subunit (Mypt1) gene in a vascular smooth muscle cell of the subject, whereby the genetic modification of Mypt1 results in a deletion or inactivation of exon 24. The invention further provides vectors, host cells, and compositions useful for carrying out the methods of the invention.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for treating atherosclerosis in a subject comprising the use of therapeutic compounds to reduce Reelin in the circulation of the subject, thereby reducing the adhesion of leukocytes to the vascular wall. The invention also provides methods and compositions for reducing leukocyte adhesion to the vascular wall in a subject.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for treating atherosclerosis in a subject comprising the use of therapeutic compounds to reduce Reelin in the circulation of the subject, thereby reducing the adhesion of leukocytes to the vascular wall. The invention also provides methods and compositions for reducing leukocyte adhesion to the vascular wall in a subject.

The present disclosure encompasses methods for generating cells or tissue from existing cells with one or more mutated variants of Yap. In specific embodiments, the disclosure regards treatment of existing cardiomyocytes with one or more mutated variants of Yap that causes them to divide and generate new cardiomyocytes. In specific cases, the mutated variant of Yap has serine-to-alanine substitutions at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more serines of Yap.

The disclosure provides for single chain variable fragments to oxidized phospholipid epitopes and methods of use thereof, including the production of transgenic animal models and the use of the fragments as therapeutic agents for treating CAS.

A preparation method of an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-induced autoimmune myocarditis model is provided, including: mediating a model with adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) to achieve the high expression of PDL1 in a myocardial tissue, and applying an anti-PD-1/PD-L1 mAb to the model with high PDL1 expression in the myocardial tissue for modeling. The present disclosure also provides use of an animal model prepared by the preparation method. The model prepared by the present disclosure truly simulates the pathogenesis and clinical course of autoimmune myocarditis in a patient administered with an anti-PD1/PD-L1 mAb, is close to a pathophysiological status of a clinical patient, has a high modeling rate, and can be dynamically monitored.

Described herein are compositions comprising viral vectors. The viral vectors may encode a t-tubule organizing protein or peptide such as cardiac isoform of bridging integrator 1 (cBIN1). Also disclosed herein are methods for treatment or prophylaxis of heart failure in a subject in need thereof. The method of treatment or prophylaxis may include administering a vector comprising cBIN1 to the subject for rehabilitating or increasing contractile (systolic) function or relaxation (diastolic) function in the heart of a subject having experienced heart failure or having chronic myocardial stress.

The present disclosure relates generally to the use of sphingolipid-metabolizing proteins to mitigate or minimize tissue damage resulting from injury or from disease, for example, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) when the sphingolipid-metabolizing protein is delivered via expression from an Anc80 vector.