Our Research

Targoff Laboratory in the Pediatric Cardiology Division at Columbia University Medical Center focuses on leveraging novel zebrafish models of cardiac development and regeneration to facilitate therapeutic interventions for patients with congenital heart defects and/or myocardial disease.

Our current projects include:

  • Understanding the cellular, molecular, and biomechanical mechanisms responsible for outflow tract formation.

  • Deciphering fundamental transcriptional networks shared in development and regeneration to activate endogenous reparative mechanisms and stimulate cardiac healing following injury.

  • Investigating genetic pathways and mechanisms controlled by alternative polyadenylation in the repair of myocardial infarction.

Our Projects

Cardiac Outflow Tract Formation and Function

Craniofacial Development and Function

Adult Heart Injury Response and Regeneration

Funding

Dr. Targoff is supported by two R01 grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  1. Mechanisms of outflow tract morphogenesis regulated by extracellular matrix (HL170188)

  2. Mechanisms of myocardial regeneration mediated by Nkx2.5 (HL162989)  .