Research

Cardiac Electrophysiology

We conduct state-of-the-art experiments to study various ion channels and action potentials that control cardiac excitation. Our breakthrough idea is that the action potential (AP) is determined by the counterbalancing of the inward currents versus the outward currents. We developed an innovative AP-clamp Sequential Dissection technique (nick named “Onion-Peeling”) to record many different ionic currents in the same cell under AP-clamp. For example, we studied a heart attack pig model and found that 8 ion currents were altered to shorten the AP duration in the infarct border zone, whereas 5 ion currents were altered to prolong the AP duration in the infarct remote zone. This inhomogeneous changes of AP across the heart tissue can lead to arrhythmias. Our studies provide a comprehensive view on how changes of multiple ion channels shift the balance between the inward currents vs. the outward currents to cause AP remodeling and cardiac arrhythmias.