Alvin Shrier

Ion channels and membrane transporters are key determinants of the initiation and conduction of the cardiac impulse.  Moreover, alterations in the function of these membrane proteins due to genetic mutation, disease or drugs can alter their function leading to abnormal cardiac rhythms.  The work in my laboratory has been focused on attaining an understanding of ion channel function and localization on one hand and the initiation of complex cardiac rhythms on the other.  We are using molecular methods, including yeast two-hybrid screens, and confocal microscopy with immunohistochemistry to identify protein interaction and localization. Using electrophysiological methods, including patch clamp techniques, we determine the functional expression and biophysical properties of channels in heterologous cells and isolated cardiac myocytes. In order to understand the genesis of cardiac rhythms we use optical dyes and a cooled CCD camera system or photodiodes to image the conduction of the cardiac impulse in cultured cardiac myocytes or cardiac tissue.  The rhythms generated are analyzed and modeled using nonlinear mathematical techniques. The above approaches are used to study the changes that occur with development, cardiac arrhythmias and disease states, such as cardiac ischemia.