Nick Chavkin, a postdoctoral researcher in the CVRC working in the Hirschi and Walsh Labs, has been awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) Career Development Award to study age-related loss of the Y chromosome in heart failure. Mosaic loss of Y chromosome (mLOY) in the hematopoietic system is the most common post-zygotic mutation in humans. This form of aneuploidy, in a subset of hematopoietic stem cells, increases with age and affects ~45% of men by age 70. Epidemiological data have associated this condition with mortality, cancer, dementia, and heart failure. A recent study in the Walsh Lab revealed that mLOY promotes a pro-fibrotic response in tissues. Dr. Chavkin’s work will investigate how mLOY disrupts myocardial tissue remodeling and results in cardiac fibrosis that impairs heart function. These studies will reveal novel mechanisms associated with aging and fibrosis, helping us better understand age as a risk factor for heart failure.