Grant: Operating Grant

The force with which the heart contracts depends on a number of variables, the most important of which is the way two key proteins interact with each other. Our preliminary evidence indicates that this arrangement is malleable, and controlled by local factors. The second area of investigation is in how the force of contraction might be regulated. My lab has evidence that there is a small domain inside the ventricular cells that could alter the force of contraction, up or down,depending on what signals the heart is receiving from the nervous system and the body's hormonal state. The third avenue of investigation is to look at human cells to see if they are organized the same way as the animal models that we're studying. This is very basic research dedicated to understanding how the normal cell operates. My lab, if funded, would continue to train people who work in both industry and academia, and the findings from this grant might open up new ways of thinking about future treatment if the hypothesis about the signaling microdomain proves true.