February is American Heart Month, an opportune time to spotlight Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) grant awardee Renita Horton, PhD. In 2024, Dr. Horton, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering at the University of Houston, was one of the exceptional researchers to receive an Empowering Lupus Research (ELR) Career Development Award (CDA) from the LRA. Her LRA-funded research aims to improve the understanding and treatment of congenital heart block (CHB), a rare and potentially serious heart condition associated with neonatal lupus.

Expectant mothers with certain specific lupus-related autoantibodies (antibodies that mistakenly target the body’s own cells and tissues) are at a higher risk of having babies with CHB. In CHB, the electrical signals that control the heartbeat are partially or completely blocked. A key element in the development of CHB is fibrosis, the thickening and scarring of tissue.

With the curiosity of a scientist and the inventiveness of an engineer, Dr. Horton seeks not only to understand biological systems but also to design and develop technologies that can address complex medical challenges. She developed a microtissue platform (an engineered system that mimics the structure and function of heart tissues) called a congenital cardiac fibrosis chip (CCFC). The CCFC allows her to study how various factors affect the heart.

With her LRA grant, Dr. Horton is further advancing her novel model, with the aim of improving outcomes for infants with CHB. “My goal is to identify risk factors that could more precisely predict which mothers expressing these lupus-associated autoantibodies are at risk of giving birth to babies with CHB,” said Dr. Horton. “Longer term, I would like to use the chip to test drugs that could impact those risk factors.”

Asked what motivated her to pursue this research path, Dr. Horton responded, “I have always been interested in the effect of chronic diseases on the heart, and several years ago, I came across research papers on congenital heart diseases and women with lupus. Later, at an NIH (National Institutes of Health)-sponsored training program on lupus, what stood out for me is how lupus seems to impact women more than men. I started to ask: ‘Why are so many women affected by this disease, and what does this mean for women who want to have children? How can technology help?’”

Thanks to the LRA grant, Dr. Horton said, her research is buoyed by her interactions with other lupus researchers, especially clinician-scientists who have been in this field for many years.

“I am also inspired by the LRA focus on the heterogeneity of lupus – the many ways lupus can manifest and affect individuals, with varied symptoms and complications. I also appreciate their fostering the development of early-career scientists from different disciplines to devote their talent to lupus research.”

Dr. Horton garners the most encouragement from her interactions with the lupus community. “What I found heartwarming is that when the LRA announced the recipients of the ELR Awards, people started contacting me on social media, and I was even invited to give a talk at a lupus-themed community health event.” Dr. Horton is particularly moved by how the people she has met “push through their struggles with lupus and remain optimistic.”

“At the end of the day, the work is bigger than the grant or even the experiment,” said Dr. Horton. “It’s about the people impacted by the work. That’s what keeps me grounded.”