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Cardiac physiology and heart failure

Cardiac physiology and heart failure

Cardiac physiology and heart failure

We aim to understand normal physiology of cardiac contraction and impulse conduction, and dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for cardiac remodelling in order to develop new and more effective treatment strategies for heart failure and arrhythmias.

Manchester is highly reputed for its cardiac physiology, arrhythmia and heart failure research with key areas such as:

  • The regulation of intracellular calcium and the link between disordered calcium signalling and arrhythmias, heart failure and ageing.
  • The cardiac conduction system in health and disease. This has led to the recognition of the importance of ion channel remodelling in rhythm disorders and the use of computer modelling to appreciate the impact at the organ level of molecular electrophysiological changes in ion channel expression.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways involved in the development of heart failure and the structure-function mechanisms underlying impaired contractility and mitochondrial function.

Methodologies

These studies employ a wide range of methodological approaches including:

  • small and large animal (fish, chick, rodent, rabbit, sheep, pig) in vivo cardiovascular measurements and interventions;
  • electrophysiological analysis of cells and tissues;
  • cell and organ imaging;
  • cell signalling and gene regulation studies;
  • iPSC modelling;
  • structural biology;
  • transgenesis technologies;
  • and computer modelling.

This increased understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms is leading several of our projects along the translational pathway, with the development of small molecule inhibitors and antagomirs, and the development of therapeutics for cardiovascular and renal disease in diabetes.