Diana Hunter

Dr. Diana Hunter’s research focuses on modern advances in stem cell biology and genetic engineering to study how genetic changes affect the rhythmic beating of the heart. Using these advances, they turn stem cells, which are reprogrammed from adult tissue, into a layer of connected beating heart cells that produce waves of heartbeat-like contractions. When looking down the microscope, you may need to blink a couple of times to believe what you are seeing, but once your eyes adjust, it is clear that the cells in the dish are moving in rhythm. Seeing heart cells beating together in a dish is amazing, but then we combine this with the cutting-edge gene-editing technique known as CRISPR. CRISPR has revolutionized science by giving scientists the tool to create specific changes in the genome (DNA) of cells. This means taking those initial stem cells and engineering in specific changes that replicate genetic differences found in patients. This lets us grow heart cells without needing to take cells directly from patients and more importantly it allows us to create carefully controlled experiments to help us determine what specific drugs may help specific patients based on their genes.