Single Cell Investigations of Mechanically-Induced Arrhythmias during Acute Regional Ischemia

The heart is an electrically driven pump. A major cause of death world-wide is a disturbance of the heart’s electrical activity (arrhythmias) due to a reduced blood supply (ischemia). We have shown that stretch of the heart during ischemia triggers deadly arrhythmias, which may be caused by changes in cellular processes. This project will discover the specific cell-level causes of arrhythmias in ischemia.
Experiments will be performed using single heart cells. Cells will be exposed to ischemia and subjected to controlled stretch. This will be combined with state-of-the-art fluorescent microscopy to determine the effects of stretch on specific cell behaviour.
Overall, this research will help us to understand why arrhythmias occur during ischemia, so that new treatments may be created. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

T. Alexander Quinn

Student:

Partner:

Okayama University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

University:

Dalhousie University

Program:

Globalink Research Award