Special Seminar - Correlating Structure and Function through Multi-Modal Imaging: New Insights into Cardiac Arrhythmias
Date: September 15, 2009
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: Bossone Research Enterprise Center, Room: 709
Speaker(s):
Crystal M. Ripplinger, Ph.D.
Cardiovascular Research Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Details:
The functional and structural organization of the heart spans multiple spatial scales from nanometer-scale ion channels and gap junctions to the centimeter-scale of the whole heart. Each level of structural and functional organization contributes to whole heart electrophysiology and often arrhythmias are associated with pathological changes across multiple spatial scales. My research has focused on using a multi-scale, multi-modal imaging approach to better understand arrhythmia mechanisms and to develop and evaluate anti-arrhythmia therapies. Using fast fluorescent optical mapping combined with multiple structural and molecular imaging techniques, underlying mechanisms contributing to arrhythmia and defibrillation in a transgenic rabbit model (-myosin heavy chain-Q403) of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a rabbit model of myocardial infarction have been explored. Additionally, more basic investigations of structure-function relationships have been performed in engineered tissue constructs comprised of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Future directions, including novel, multi-functional imaging approaches for characterization of cardiac pathophysiology and arrhythmias will also be discussed.
Biosketch:
Directions:
The Bossone Research Enterprise Center is located at the corner of 32nd and Market Streets.
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