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Personnel

  • Elena Cruz

    Determining the functional effect of phosphorylated Calsequestrin Type II

  • Thomas Grayson

    Sex-specific Response to Targeting Fibrosis in the Diabetic Heart

  • Alycia Kinns

    Sex-specific Response to Targeting Fibrosis in the Diabetic Heart

  • Dr Michelle Munro

    Our lab investigates how changes in cardiomyocyte organisation influence function in cardiac arrhythmia and heart failure.

  • Elliot Sibbles

    How CSQ2 glycosylation influences heart failure and arrhythmia

  • Dr Helen Waddell

    How structural changes of cardiomyocytes contribute to atrial fibrillation and arrhythmia

Research interests

I am interested in how the cardiac ultrastructure impacts the function of the heart, in particular the organisation of specialised structures known as the dyad and transverse tubules.  I am investigating how these structures are remodelled in atrial fibrillation and heart failure, and whether specific proteins can be targeted to restore cardiac organisation and function in heart disease.

Techniques our group use include: calcium imaging, immunofluorescence, western blotting, cell and tissue culture, super-resolution imaging, confocal imaging.

Project

  • Restoration of calcium balance by calsequestrin in atrial fibrillation

Current funding

  • 2021–2024: Royal Society Marsden Fund, Fast-Start
  • 2024–2025: University of Otago Research Grant

Previous funding

  • 2022–2023: University of Otago Research Grant
  • 2019–2022: Heart Foundation of New Zealand Research Fellowship
  • 2020–2022: Health Research Council, Emerging Researcher First Grant
  • 2019–2020: Heart Foundation of New Zealand small project grant

Publications

Waddell, H. M. M., Mereacre, V., Alvarado, F. J., & Munro, M. L. (2023). Clustering properties of the cardiac ryanodine receptor in health and heart failure. Journal of Molecular & Cellular Cardiology, 185, 38-49. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.10.012 Journal - Research Other

Okolo, C. A., Khaing, E.-P., Mereacre, V., Wallace, R. S., Munro, M. L., Erickson, J. R., & Jones, P. P. (2023). Direct regulation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) by O-GlcNAcylation. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 22, 276. doi: 10.1186/s12933-023-02010-3 Journal - Research Article

Tristão Cruz, A., de Jonge, W. M., Waddell, H. M. M., & Munro, M. L. (2023, August). Sex differences in the fibrotic remodelling of diabetic patients. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Baxter, K. E., de Jonge, W. M., & Munro, M. L. (2023, August). Organisation of calsequestrin-2 in a failing and diabetic heart. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Kilworth, J. N. K., Munro, M. L., & McDonald, F. J. (2023, August). Investigating the functional interaction between the epithelial sodium channel and Ca2+ signalling in breast cancer. Poster session presented at the 17th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

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