Department of Integrative Physiology

Cardiovascular Sciences Research

Master
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Cardiovascular research is one of the key areas of interest of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. Research by our faculty members focuses on a variety of subjects including cardiovascular ion channels, calcium handling proteins, heart development, cardiac diseases such as cardiac arrhythmias, hypertrophy and heart failure, and multiple imaging modalities including magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and confocal and multi-focal imaging.

Ground-breaking findings made in our department include the development of animal models for sudden infant death syndrome, the identification of new proteins involved in the development of atrial fibrillation and heart failure, the generation of new imaging modalities to study heart disease at the cellular and whole animal level, and the identification of the cause of heart stroke. These research programs are supported by substantial extramural grant support, and have led to publications of important new findings in high impact scientific journals.

Through the development of a state-of-the-art mouse phenotyping facility, our faculty and trainees are able to interrogate the effects of changes in the genome on cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function. Faculty and trainees in our department work closed by other cardiovascular scientists and clinicians at Baylor College of Medicine and affiliated hospitals. Our research efforts are well integrated within the larger cardiovascular community at BCM, and provide an excellent environment for collaborative research and strong training opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.

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Areas of Research

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Cardiac Ion Channels

  • Ryanodine receptors
  • Intracellular calcium release

Cardiac Development

  • Angiogenesis
  • Heart morphogenesis

Heart Disease

  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Cardiac hypertrophy
  • Heart failure
  • Inflammation and cardiovascular disease

Imaging

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
  • 2-photon microscopy
  • Ultrasound
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Research Faculty: Cardiovascular Sciences

People
First Name
Christine
Last Name
Beeton
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Professor
First Name
Mary
Middle Name
E.
Last Name
Dickinson
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
First Name
Susan
Middle Name
L
Last Name
Hamilton
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Professor and L. F. McCollum Chair in Molecular Physiology
First Name
William
Middle Name
R.
Last Name
Lagor
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Kyle and Josephine Morrow Endowed Professor
First Name
Irina
Middle Name
V.
Last Name
Larina
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Professor and Kyle and Josephine Morrow Endowed Chair
First Name
James
Middle Name
F
Last Name
Martin
Honorific Title
M.D., Ph.D.
Vice Chairman/Professor
First Name
Robia
Middle Name
G
Last Name
Pautler
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Professor
First Name
Steen
Middle Name
E
Last Name
Pedersen
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Associate Professor
First Name
George
Middle Name
Gerald
Last Name
Rodney Jr.
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Associate Professor
First Name
Xander
Last Name
Wehrens
Honorific Title
M.D., Ph.D.
Juanita P. Quigley Endowed Chair in Cardiology
First Name
Joshua
Middle Name
D.
Last Name
Wythe
Honorific Title
Ph.D.
Associate Professor
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Trainees

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Postdocs

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  • Ge Tao, Ph.D.
  • Yang Xiao, Ph.D.
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Graduate Students

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  • Zhijuan Cao
  • Redwan Huq
  • John Leach
  • Lele Li
  • Ann Quick
  • Victor Piazza
  • Nejla Yosef