Principal Investigator Ngoc Uyen Nhi Nguyen, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D.

Dr. Nguyen is a molecular biologist whose research lies at the intersection of cardiac and skeletal muscle regeneration, cancer resistance in striated muscle, and translational therapeutic development. She joined the University of South Florida in 2025 as an Assistant Professor following over a decade of advanced training and research at the USA's top Institutes, from U.C. Davis Medical Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Nguyen focuses on elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive regenerative responses in adult striated muscle. Her research aims to restore cardiomyocyte proliferative capacity, promote skeletal muscle repair, and uncover the basis for the inherent resistance of striated muscle to metastatic invasion. Her prior work has identified key regulatory factors—including Meis1, Hoxb13, and calcineurin—that control postnatal cardiomyocyte cell cycle and sarcomere remodeling. She is also a co-inventor on a regenerative therapy currently under patent review and has led several research projects funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association.

Dr. Nguyen has a strong record of first- and senior-author publications in leading journals, including Nature, Circulation, Nature Cardiovascular Research (NCVR), the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI), Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (JMCC), PLOS ONE, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC), and Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports (BBR), reflecting a strong emphasis on both mechanistic insight and translational potential.