iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Jeroen Bakkers

Francesca Mattiroli @fmattiroli.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Looking forward to starting a new project with @bakkerslab.bsky.social to learn how chromatin changes to allow regeneration in the heart.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I am happy and excited to share our latest preprint on PLN cardiomyopathy: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... We found that PLN R14del cardiomyocytes have lysosomal dysfunction resulting in PLN accumulation, microtubule remodelling and structural defects, which are rescued by lysosomal reactivation.

PLN accumulates in aged PLN R14del zebrafish hearts, which is resolved by fasting-induced lysosomal activation

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Reposted by Jeroen Bakkers

Hubrecht Institute @hubrechtinstitute.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

How is epigenetic information propagated during development? How do chromosomes reorganize DNA through the cell cycle? And how can cutting-edge imaging capture developmental machines and processes? These were just some of the questions explored at #HubrechtSymposium2026. Thanks for joining today!

Alejandro Cardona Monzonis presenting his poster

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Thanks Ben for organizing this symposium. It was great fun to interact with all of you at Sinica.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Join this exciting meeting on Regenerative Biology with a great speaker lineup !

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

We are hiring a new PhD student in #Bioinformatics and Organ #Regeneration using to join our team at the @hubrechtinstitute.bsky.social If you are interested in how the heart regenerates and want to work in a dynamic and experienced team please apply here. www.hubrecht.eu/job/phd-stud...

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

The first Hubrecht symposium was great opportunity to hear about fundamental research and it was a pleasure to participate in it 👏

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Thanks for hosting me @merln-um.bsky.social Enjoyed the interactions with staff and students on new approaches for #regeneration #research

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Reposted by Jeroen Bakkers

Weinstein Conference @weinsteinconf.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Calling all cardiovascular scientists.... @WeinsteinConf is in Milwaukee May 14-16! Abstract submission now open. Registration portal is imminent! childrenswi.org/weinstein Are you a trainee and want to be considered for a platform talk - abstract due Feb 21!

childrenswi.org

Weinstein Cardiovascular Development and Regeneration Conference | 2025. Online registration by Cvent

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

👉 Our findings suggest a new model: Hmga1 reactivates silenced developmental genes by clearing repressive chromatin marks. This "pro-regenerative gene program" drives cardiomyocyte proliferation, enabling heart regeneration.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🔬 We also compared Hmga1’s effects on zebrafish and mouse hearts. Both species showed reduced H3K27me3 marks on developmental genes after Hmga1 overexpression, confirming that the regenerative mechanism is conserved across species.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🧪 Importantly, Hmga1 only stimulates cardiomyocyte proliferation in the context of injury. Sham-operated mice with Hmga1 therapy showed no abnormal cell growth. This highlights its potential as a safe and targeted treatment.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🐁 In mouse models, we delivered Hmga1 directly to injured hearts using a viral gene therapy. The results? Controlled cardiomyocyte proliferation in the injury border zone, improved heart function, and no harmful side effects like heart enlargement.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🐟 In zebrafish, Hmga1 is essential for heart regeneration. Without it, cardiomyocyte proliferation is diminished, and the heart cannot recover. When overexpressed, Hmga1 reactivates developmental gene programs.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🧬 Hmga1 works by clearing "roadblocks" in the form of repressive chromatin marks (H3K27me3). These marks keep genes silenced after development. By removing them, Hmga1 reactivates genes needed for cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart repair.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🐟Zebrafish can regenerate their hearts after injury and reactivate dormant embryonic genes in cardiomyocytes. By comparing injury responses in zebrafish and mouse models and using a spatial transcriptomics approach, we identified Hmga1 as a key factor enabling this regeneration.

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

🫀 Zebrafish protein unlocks dormant genes for mammalian heart repair. Our work published by @springer1842.bsky.social in Nature CVR uncovers how the protein HMGA1 could unlock mammalian heart repair. rdcu.be/d5owa #HeartHealth #Regeneration #Biomedicine #Cardiology

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Reposted by Jeroen Bakkers

Hubrecht Institute @hubrechtinstitute.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

Researchers from @bakkerslab.bsky.social have successfully repaired damaged mouse hearts using a protein from zebrafish. This study marks a promising step toward regenerative therapies to prevent heart failure. Curious? www.hubrecht.eu/zebrafish-pr... @marabouwman.bsky.social l

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Jeroen Bakkers @bakkerslab.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Great work showing the power of interspecies comparison to reveal new mechanisms for tissue regeneration!

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Reposted by Jeroen Bakkers

Dominic Grün @dominicgrun.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Excited to share our study on spatio-temporal reconstruction of cardiac scar formation led by Andy Chan. We combine scRNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics to resolve the fibrotic niche and the niche of dedifferentiating cardiomyocytes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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