Cardiovascular Physiology Group

The cardiovascular physiology group approaches cardiovascular function and dysfunction from an integrative perspective, encompassing molecular to systems physiology. This integrative "bench-to-bedside" approach to the study of cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology provides unique insight into cardiovascular control in health and disease.

This strong research focus has close ties with systems level physiology research in areas such as autonomic cardiovascular control, the effects and mechanisms of autonomic dysfunction (e.g. spinal cord injury and chronic exposure to hypoxia), cardiac arrhythmia, and syncope.

Cardiovascular Physiology Lab

The Cardiovascular Physiology Lab is led by Dr. Victoria Claydon. She also works closely with the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) and the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). Her research falls into three broad categories: cardiovascular abnormalities with spinal cord injury, adaptations to living at high altitude, and underlying mechanisms of syncope and prescyncope.

Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group

Within this group is the Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group who study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cardiac excitation and excitation-contraction coupling. The MCPG are housed in a newly built large and well-equipped common laboratory space. Their work focuses on congenital heart diseases such as dysfunction of cardiac ion channels (channelopathies) and contractile proteins (cardiomyopathies), both of which can result in arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.

Group Members:

Dr. Tom Claydon
Dr. Damon Poburko
Dr. Peter Ruben
Dr. Glen Tibbits

Ruben Lab

Tibbits Lab

Facilities and Equipment

The cardiovascular physiology lab includes a state-of-the-art facility for autonomic function testing and cardiovascular control. This includes 12 lead ECG monitoring, non-invasive beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring, ultrasonography, a combined orthostatic stress testing (tilt testing) and lower body negative pressure chamber, carotid baroreceptor testing, exercise testing modalities, and custom software for determining cardiovascular variability. The MCPG includes electrophysiology suites specifically customized for cut-open oocyte clamp, and voltage clamp flourimetry, as well as numerous two electrode and patch clamp set ups. Other facilities within the group include confocal microscopy, functional echocardiography, and working heart and Langendorf-perfused heart systems.

51社区黑料

Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology (BPK)