Dr Larry Lemanski, Texas A&m University - Commerce, authentic portrait

I've been studying embryonic heart development and for a number of years I've been using the Mexican Axolotl, which is this salamander you see here. Because it has a genetic mutation in which the heart forms but fails to beat. We found that this single gene mutation had a defect in a component that allowed the heart muscle to be induced from non-muscle tissue. And so we were able to through a serious of experiments show, you can take a normal Axolotl and rescue a mutant heart by using normal RNA. We wanted to know whether we would be able take human RNA and cause this same kind of a rescue. Basically, what this research means then is that we will be able to look at individuals who have had myocardial infarcts, heart attacks, and area on their heart that's been damaged. We think we will be able to take this RNA(ribonucleic acid) , treat those damaged areas in the heart and cause that heart tissue to reform into functional muscle again. So that individuals who have suffered heart attacks can then return to pre-heart attack activity levels and basically become healthy, normal individuals again. The students here actually participate in the planning of experiments, the carrying out of experiments, the preparation for this work of publication and we hope at some point going to national meetings and presenting this work so I think it is a very unique and rich opportunity that our students who are afforded here at A&M Commerce.