News - Institute of Pharmacology
News
Essen, 13.05.2024
Prof. Dobromir Dobrev ranked most active and cited author in atrial fibrillation and ion channels
According to an in Heart Rhythm Journal published „Bibliometric analysis of atrial fibrillation and ion channels“, Profs. Dobromir Dobrev and Stanley Nattel are the worldwide most active and most frequently cited authors. This is a reflection of their outstanding contributions and fruitful collaboration aiming to better understand the molecular basis of the most frequent arrhythmia, with the ultimate goal to develop more effective therapeutics. We congratulate Drs Dobrev and Nattel for this great achievement!
Link to manuscript:
SciencedirectEssen, 22.04.2024
Prof. Dobromir Dobrev Elected as Member of Academia Europaea
In April 2024 Prof. Dobromir Dobrev has been elected as member of the Academia Europaea by the Board of Trustees in recognition of his “outstanding achievements as a scientist” in the field of arrhythmias.
Membership of the Academy is by invitation only and only existing members may propose new candidates. Members are individual scientists and scholars that cover all branches of knowledge. Scientists and scholars of international distinction are elected in recognition of their academic excellence. The main criterion for membership is "sustained academic excellence in the candidate's field of expertise". The Section "Clinical and Veterinary Science" of the Academia has recommended the election of Prof. Dobrev as a member of Academia after the review by the relevant Class Committee. The Board of Trustees has confirmed the election.
The prestigious Academy was founded in 1988 to respond to the need for a new body that could express the ideas and opinions of individual scientists from across Europe. It is currently composed of 6,000 members involved in "the promotion of European research, advice governments and international organisations in scientific matters, and further interdisciplinary and international research.” The Academy of Europe has over 50 Nobel Prize winners among its members.
The Institute team warmly congratulates Prof. Dobrev on his election!
Essen, 15.12.2021
Teaching Award 2021 for Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Dobromir Dobrev Prize
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Dobromir Dobrev was voted as Best Lecturer Winter-Semester 2021 by medical students undertaking the clincial semesters of the medical curriculum at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
Essen, 09.11.2021
Ms. Katja Leineweber successfully completed her dissertation.
We congratulate Katja Leineweber for attaining the medical doctorate! For her experimental doctoral thesis investigating the interaction between thrombin receptors and the NLRP3 inflammasome in diabetic myocardium, Katja was awarded magna cum laude. Part of her data were published last year in Basic Research Cardiology (PMID: 31912235). We wish Dr. med. Katja Leineweber all the best for her future.
Essen, 22.06.2021
Institute of Pharmacology receives the Medical Faculty Teaching Prize
The seminar series „Pharmakologie und Toxikologie Teil II“ was the top evaluated course of the winter semester 2020/2021, as voted by the medical students of the University Duisburg-Essen. The Pharmacology teaching staff are honoured and grateful for this recognition of our teaching efforts. The Medical Faculty Teaching Prize will be awarded to the Head of the Institute, Prof. Dobromir Dobrev, on behalf of the department, at the exam celebrations on July 9, 2021.
Essen, 17.06.2021
University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” conferred the degree Doctor Honoris Causa to Prof. Dobrev
We are happy to announce that for his outstanding contributions to cardiovascular science Prof. Dobromir Dobrev, Director of Institute of Pharmacology, has been conferred the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa (Dr. h.c.) by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila” in Bucharest, Romania. The official ceremony was deferred due to Covid-19 pandemic to Autumn 2021.
Essen, 15.01.2021
Prof. Dobrev named Fellow of the European Heart Rhythm Association
For his outstanding contribution to improving our understanding of the mechanisms and therapy of cardiac diseases particularly arrhythmias the European Heart Rhythm Association of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has awarded Prof. Dobrev the distinction Fellow of the EHRA (FEHRA).
Essen, 18.12.2020
Prof. Dr. Anke Fender awarded Quality of Teaching Award 2020
Medical students undertaking the clincial semesters of the medical curriculum at the University of Duisburg-Essen voted Prof. Dr. Anke Fender of the Institute of Pharmacology as the best female lecturer in the summer Semester of 2020. The Teaching Award of the Medical Faculty of the University Duisburg-Essen was awarded during the annual exam celebrations on 18.12.2020, this year via Zoom.
Essen, 15.12.2020
Prof. Dobrev named Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology
For his outstanding contribution to improving our understanding of the mechanisms and therapy of atrial fibrillation and cardiac diseases the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has awarded Prof. Dobrev the distinction Fellow of the ESC (FESC).
Essen, 16.09.2020
ExpertScape recognizes Prof. Dobromir Dobrev as an ExpertScape world expert in Atrial Fibrillation. He was rated #2 / #11 (basic / basic+clinical) worldwide expert in Atrial Fibrillation:
Twitter.com ExpertScape.com
Essen, 30.07.2020
Atrial Myocyte NLRP3/CaMKII Nexus Forms a Substrate for Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation
Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a common complication after surgery, affecting ~30% of patients undergoing open-heart surgery. POAF-management remains challenging, partly due to incomplete understanding of underlying mechanisms. Although there is clinical evidence pointing to the presence of a pre-surgical vulnerable substrate contributing to POAF development, its nature and role in POAF development were largely unknown until now. An extensive multi-year effort of numerous current and former members of the Institute of Pharmacology in collaboration with a group of national and international collaborators has provided new insight into the mechanisms of POAF. The study, which was published online in Circulation Research on July 30th, employed state-of-the-art biochemical and electrophysiological analyses in 265 human atrial samples and advanced in silico models to identify the presence of a subclinical pre-surgical atrial cardiomyopathy comprising NLRP3-inflammatory signaling and CaMKII-mediated calcium-handling changes that predispose POAF-patients to AF development. In particular, patients destined to develop POAF exhibit preoperative Ca2+-handling abnormalities resulting from CaMKII-dependent RyR2-hyperphosphorylation and NLRP3-inflammasome activation (#1 and #2 in Figure), without AF-promoting changes in action potential-properties, connexin remodeling or active profibrotic signaling. None of these patients had clinical AF, indicating that these abnormalities were insufficient in themselves to generate AF. However, this study shows that acute IL-1β stimulation activates a self-amplifying feed-forward loop promoting NLRP3-inflammasome activation and CaMKII-dependent RyR2 hyperphosphorylation (#3 in Figure), exacerbating proarrhythmic cardiomyocyte Ca2+-handling abnormalities. Thus, this preexisting substrate determines which atria will cross the AF threshold, initiating POAF, when acted upon by post-operative triggers. These observations provide a unifying model of AF involving a vulnerable substrate and inflammatory triggering that accounts for the transient occurrence of POAF post-operatively along with the high long-term AF recurrence rate in POAF patients.
Reference: Heijman J*, Muna AP*, Veleva T, Molina CE, Sutanto H, Tekook M, Wang Q, Abu-Taha IH, Gorka M, Künzel S, El-Armouche A, Reichenspurner H, Kamler M, Nikolaev V, Ravens U, Li N, Nattel S, Wehrens XHT, Dobrev D (2020) Atrial Myocyte NLRP3/CaMKII Nexus Forms a Substrate for Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation. Circ Res. Epub July 30, 2020. *equally contributed first authors
Essen, 09.07.2020
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel talks about the planned partial opening of the stadiums to the public in the next season of the german soccer league ("Bundesliga").
Essen, 06.07.2020
ExpertScape ranks Prof. Dobrev and Prof. Nattel as worldwide leading experts on Atrial Fibrillation
Prof. Dobromir Dobrev and Prof. Stanley Nattel (Adjunct Professor in Institute of Pharmacology) have been named by the health information website, ExpertScape.com, as world experts on Atrial Fibrillation (Prof. Nattel ranks #7, Prof. Dobrev ranks #11 among all leading experts, only top 60 worldwide experts shown) in a ranking of experts for the understanding, diagnostic, and treatment of this disease. ExpertScape produces its rankings through objectively analyzing data gathered via PubMed.Essen, 03.05.2020
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel talks about the possible return of the german soccer league ("Bundesliga") and its potential scientific benefits.
Essen, 07.04.2020
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel speaks about drug shortage and the consequences of downsized drug development in Germany.
Essen, 27.11.2019
Merry Christmas from the Institute of Pharmacology
The Institute of Pharmacology wishes everyone a happy holiday season, merry christmas, and all the best for 2020!
Essen, 22.11.2019
Tag der Forschung 2019
The institute of pharmacology successfully participated at the annual "Tag der Forschung" organized by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Duisburg-Essen. MD and PhD students took the opportunity to present and discuss their data with faculty members and peers from various scientific fields.
Essen, 21.10.2019
Ms. Vanessa Gundlach successfully completed her dissertation.
The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Ms. Vanessa Gundlach on her MD and wishes her all the best for the future.
Essen, January 2019
Prof. Stanley Nattel, Adjunct Professor of the Institute of Pharmacology, was considered as a Highly Cited Researcher 2019 by Clarivate Analytics.
Essen, 10.12.2018
Merry Christmas from the Institute of Pharmacology
The Institute of Pharmacology wishes everyone a happy holiday season, merry Christmas, and all the best for 2019!
Essen, 01.10.2018
Interview with Prof. Dobrev at 57th National Congress of Romanian Society of Cardiology, September 19-22, Romania.
Essen, 15.06.2018
Institute of Pharmacology hosts the 42th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology.
This year (June 15-17) the Institute of Pharmacology hosted the 42th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology (EWGCCE), which was organized by Prof. Dr. med. Dobromir Dobrev (Chair of EWGCCE) and his team. Approximately 150 scientists from different European countries traveled to Essen to exchange the latest results and ideas in experimental and translational research on ion channel function and dysfunction and arrhythmia mechanisms. More than 90 keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations were deliver during the meeting by international experts and young scientists in an incredible friendly and stimulating spirit. The Carmeliet-Coraboeuf-Weidmann Keynote Lecture 2018 was given by Prof. Karin Sipido from Leuven, Belgium, entitled "Anti-arrhythmic targets in ischemic cardiomyopathy".
Essen, 07.05.2018
Ms. Marina Schäfer successfully completed her dissertation.
The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Ms. Marina Schäfer on her PhD and wishes her all the best for the future.
Essen, 06.04.2018
Nachruf für Prof. Dr. med. Karl H. Jakobs
Am 06. April 2018 verstarb Prof. Dr. med. Karl H. Jakobs, ehemaliger Direktor des Institutes für Pharmakologie, unerwartet im Alter von 76 Jahren an seinem Wohnort in Heidelberg.
Karl H. Jakobs wurde am 04. November 1941 in Rissenthal im Saarland geboren. Nach dem Abitur an der Internatsschule der Steyler Mission in Mosbach, Baden, im Jahr 1961 nahm er ein Studium der Theologie und Philosophie an der Universität Wien auf, an der er 1964 das Philosophikum ablegte. Er wechselte dann 1965 an die Universität Heidelberg, an der er sich für Humanmedizin einschrieb. Schon während des Studiums folgte er seiner Neigung für die Wissenschaft und begann eine Promotion am Pharmakologischen Institut der Universität Heidelberg in der Arbeitsgruppe von Günter Schultz. Nach Staatsexamen und Approbation, promovierte er 1971 mit einer Arbeit über die Regulation von cAMP in der Rattenniere und schloss sich dem Pharmakologischen Institut als wiss. Mitarbeiter an. 1979 habilitierte er sich für das Fach Pharmakologie und Toxikologie und wurde 1982 zum außerplanmäßigen Professor ernannt. Nach dem er 1983 einen Ruf auf eine Professur der Universität Bonn abgelehnt hatte, wurde er 1984 Nachfolger von Günter Schultz als außerordentlicher Professor am Pharmakologischen Institut der Universität Heidelberg. Im April des Jahres 1991 folgte er einem Ruf der damaligen Universität-Gesamthochschule Essen auf den Lehrstuhl für Pharmakologie und leitete das Institut für Pharmakologie der Medizinischen Fakultät bis zu seiner Pensionierung am 31. Juli 2007. Seit 1992 war er zudem Mitglied der Ethikkommission, die er seit 1998 auch leitete. Auch nach seiner Pensionierung begleitete er dieses Amt bis ins Jahr 2010 weiter, zog sich dann aber ins Privatleben zurück.
Wissenschaftlich beschäftigte sich Karl H. Jakobs sehr erfolgreich mit molekularen Mechanismen der zellulären Signaltransduktion durch G-Protein-gekoppelte Rezeptoren und deren zellulären Effektoren. Insgesamt sind mehr als 260 wissenschaftliche Arbeiten mit ihm als Autor erschienen. Zu seinen wichtigsten Beiträgen zählen die Entdeckung der inhibitorischen Regulation der Adenylylzyklase und die Erkenntnis, dass auch die -Untereinheiten heterotrimerer G-Proteine aktiv an der Signaltransduktion beteiligt sind. Während seiner Zeit in Essen entwickelte er mit seinen Mitarbeitern neue Methoden zur Aktivitätsbestimmung heterotrimerer G-Proteine und identifizierte neue Signalwege zur Regulation wichtiger zellulärer Signalüberträger wie die Phospholipasen C bzw. D und Sphingosinkinasen. Seine Forschung wurde dabei kontinuierlich durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft gefördert.
Da er die Pharmakologie als ein Bestandteil der Medizin verstand, besaß die Zusammenarbeit in Forschung und Lehre mit klinischen Kollegen einen hohen Stellenwert. In seiner Arbeitsgruppe in Heidelberg und seinem Institut in Essen gab er deswegen zahlreichen Klinikern die Möglichkeit zum experimentellen Arbeiten.
Mit Karl H. Jakobs verliert die Medizinische Fakultät der Universität Duisburg-Essen einen angesehen Wissenschaftler und engagierten akademischen Lehrer. Wir werden dem Verstorbenen ein ehrendes Andenken bewahren.
Für das Institut für Pharmakologie:Prof. Dr. Dobromir Dobrev
Universitätsklinikum Essen
Hufelandstr. 55
45122 Essen
Pharmakologie-Sekretariat@uk-essen.de Für die ehemaligen Mitarbeiter:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Wieland
Experimentelle Pharmakologie Mannheim
Ludolf-Krehl-Str. 13-17
68167 Mannheim
epm@medma.uni-heidelberg.de
Essen, 20.12.2017
Merry Christmas from the Institute of Pharmacology
The Institute of Pharmacology wishes everyone a happy holiday season, merry Christmas, and all the best for 2018!
Essen, 25.09.2017
Mrs. Azinwi Phina Muna successfully completed her dissertation.
The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Mrs. Azinwi Phina Muna on her PhD and wishes her all the best for the future.
Essen, 19.07.2017
Mrs. Pegah Erfanian-Trudrung successfully completed her dissertation.
The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Mrs. Pegah Erfanian-Trudrung on her PhD and wishes her all the best for the future.
Essen, 03.07.2017
Tina Veleva won Poster Award at the EWGCCE meeting 2017 in Vienna, AT.
Essen, 02.05.2017
Prof. Dobromir Dobrev has been awarded a RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health, USA
Inflammation has been frequently associated with atrial fibrillation, the most common clinical arrhythmia. However, the causative role and the underlying mechanisms of inflammation-associated atrial fibrillation remain poorly understood. Prof. Dobromir Dobrev and Dr. Na Li (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA) have been awarded a prestigious RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health, USA (title: The Role of Inflammasome in the Pathogenesis of Atrial Fibrillation, Proposal No. RO1 HL136389-01, funding duration 2017-2021). The grant will comprehensively investigate the role of a specific component of inflammation, the NLRP3 inflammasome, in the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. It is hoped that this research will lead to the identification of novel drug targets which might foster the development of new therapeutics with improved efficacy and safety profiles.
Essen, 24.04.2017
Marina Schäfer and Azinwi Phina Khan receive Travel Awards for the 83. Annual Spring Meeting of the German Society of Cardiology 2017
Marina Schäfer and Azinwi Phina Khan were awarded with Travel Grants to present their posters entitled “Rezeptor-unabhängige NDPK-B und NDPK-C vermittelte Signalübertragung über Gs-Proteine bei experimentellem und klinischem Vorhofflimmern” and "Cellular mechanisms underlying post-operative atrial fibrillation in patients". The 83. Annual Spring Meeting of German Society of Cardiology (DGK) is the biggest clinical society in Europe and brings many fields of basic and clinical research together.
Essen, 20.02.2017
Open Postdoc position
The Institute of pharmacology offers an open postdoctoral position. For more informations see here
Essen, 01.02.2017
DZHK-Paper of the month
The group of Prof. Dobrev, director of the Institute of Pharmacology, in a close collaboration with the group of Prof. Thomas Wieland from the University of Heidelberg (Medical Faculty Mannheim) published a study in Circulation (Abu-Taha et al., Circulation 2016; published online on Dec 7) showing for the first time enhanced nucleoside diphosphate kinases contribute significantly to the detrimental decrease in cAMP and related PKA signaling typifying patients with chronic heart failure. This manuscript was selected by the German Cardiovascular Centre (DZHK) as the "DZHK-Paper of the month" (see here)
Abu-Taha IH*, Heijman J*, Hippe HJ, Wolf NM, El-Armouche A, Nikolaev VO, Schäfer M, Würtz CM, Neef S, Voigt N, Baczkó I, Varró A, Müller M, Meder B, Katus HA, Spiger K, Vettel C, Lehmann LH, Backs J, Skolnik EY, Lutz S, Dobrev D#, Wieland T# (2017) Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase-C Suppresses cAMP Formation in Human Heart Failure. Circulation, published online on December 07, 2016 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022852). *equally contributing first authors; #equally contributing co-senior and co-correspondence authors.Essen, 22.12.2016
Merry Christmas from the Institute of Pharmacology
The Institute of Pharmacology wishes everyone a happy holiday season, merry Christmas, and all the best for 2017!
Essen, 08.12.2016
Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase-C Suppresses cAMP Formation in Human Heart Failure
Heart failure (HF) remains a common cause of death and disability and is associated with altered signal transduction via β-adrenoceptors and G proteins, resulting in reduced adenylyl cyclase-mediated cAMP formation and contributing to contractile dysfunction. Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPKs) can modulate G-protein activity and are enriched at the plasma membrane of end-stage HF patients. However, their relevance for HF pathophysiology is largely unknown, particularly for the NDPK-C isoform. Members of the Institute of Pharmacology, together with collaborators from various other centers in Germany and abroad, published a study in the most recent edition of Circulation, showing for the first time a potential critical role for NDPK-C in the suppression of cAMP formation in HF patients. In particular, this study identified that NDPK-C is crucial for the interaction between NDPKs and G proteins, building complexes and scaffolding them at the plasma membrane. These interactions regulate cAMP levels and cardiomyocyte contractility. In HF patients, NDPK-C switched from predominantly Gs stimulation to activation of Gi. Our findings provide a potential mechanism for the detrimental decrease in cAMP and related dysfunction previously described in HF patients, and position NDPK-C as a novel critical determinant of βAR/cAMP signaling that contributes to impaired cardiac function and remodeling in human HF.
Reference: Abu-Taha IH*, Heijman J*, Hippe HJ, Wolf NM, El-Armouche A, Nikolaev VO, Schäfer M, Würtz CM, Neef S, Voigt N, Baczkó I, Varró A, Müller M, Meder B, Katus HA, Spiger K, Vettel C, Lehmann LH, Backs J, Skolnik EY, Lutz S, Dobrev D#, Wieland T# (2016) Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase-C Suppresses cAMP Formation in Human Heart Failure. Circulation, Published online on Dec 7, 2016. *equally contributing first authors, #co-senior and co-correspondence authors
Essen, 26.10.2016
ExpertScape ranks Prof. Dobrev and Prof. Nattel as worldwide leading experts on Atrial Fibrillation
Prof. Dobromir Dobrev and Prof. Stanley Nattel (Adjunct Professor in Institute of Pharmacology) have been named by the health information website, ExpertScape.com, as world experts on Atrial Fibrillation (Prof. Nattel ranks #3, Prof. Dobrev ranks #22 among all leading experts, only top 60 worldwide experts shown) in a ranking of experts for the understanding, diagnostic, and treatment of this disease. For their expertise in Heart the website ranks Prof. Nattel as worldwide leader (#1) and Prof. Dobrev as rank #9. ExpertScape produces its rankings through objectively analyzing data gathered via PubMed. Professor Dobrev’s and Nattel’s positions are based on more than 100 articles published between 2006 and 2015.A printed list can be found here (4 pages).
Essen, 05.09.2016
Dr. Shokoufeh Ghezelbash won Poster Award at the EWGCCE meeting 2016 in Glasgow, GB.
Essen, 05.09.2016
Dr. Cristina E. Molina received Travel Award to attend the EWGCCE meeting 2016 in Glasgow, GB.
Essen, 11.07.2016
Prof Dobromir Dobrev interviewed by Scientists of Tomorrow from the European Society of Cardiology
A link to the interview can be found here
Essen, 25.05.2016
Prof. Fritz Sörgel organizes 2nd Doping Congress in Frankfurt/Main
Mannheim, 30.03.2016
PD Dr. Niels Voigt elected as vice chair of the Working Group of Cellular Electrophysiology (AG18) of the German Cardiac Society
During the annual scientific meeting of the German Cardiac Society PD Dr. Niels Voigt was elected as vice chair of the Working Group of Cellular Electrophysiology (AG18). Dr. Voigt takes over Prof. Dr. Dierk Thomas's position, who will be the chair of the working group. The aim of the working group is to develop a more profound understanding of the electrophysiological regulation of different cardiac cells from healthy and diseased hearts and thus allow the development of new mechanism-based therapeutic strategies.
A link to the website of the Working Group can be found here.
Essen, 30.03.2016
Pegah Erfanian-Abdoust receives Travel Award for the 82. Annual Spring Meeting of the German Society of Cardiology 2016
Pegah Erfanian-Abdoust has been awarded with a Travel Grant to present her poster entitled “A new computational model for the SERCA2a-regulation by phospholamban and sarcolipin in human atrial cardiomyocytes”. The 82. Annual Spring Meeting of German Society of Cardiology (DGK) is the biggest clinical society in Europe and brings many fields of basic and clinical research together.
Essen, 01.02.2016
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Erich Wettwer joins the Institute of Pharmacology as a consultant in cardiac electrophysiology.Essen, 18.12.2015
Teaching Award 2015 for PD Dr. Niels Voigt
On December 18th, 2015, on the occasion of this years "exam celebrations", PD Dr. Niels Voigt has been awarded with the "Teaching Award of the Medical Faculty of the University Duisburg-Essen". For Dr. Voigt this award is particularly important since the students themselves are nominating the awardees during the evaluation process (“EVALUNA”). The price further encourages Dr. Voigt’s enthusiasm in training and teaching of medical students.
Essen, 26.10.2015
Honorary Symposium of the 100th anniversary of Paul Ehrlich’s death
The institute of Pharmacology organized a Symposium to honor the 100th Anniversary of Paul Ehrlich’s death. Paul Ehrlich was a german physician and scientist who worked in the fields of hematology, immunology, antimicrobial chemotherapy, and pharmacology, receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his contributions to immunology in 1908.
Opening talks were given by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Buer and Professor Dobrev (Director of the Institute of Pharmacology). Professor Sörgel from the Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research, Nürnberg, Germany gave an excellent overview about Paul Ehrlich’s life and work. The keynote lecture about „Therapy of Nosocomial Pneumonia“ was given by Professor Drusano from the University of Florida, USA.
Essen, 27.08.2015
Summer Barbecue Party of the Institute of Pharmacology
The members of the Institute of Pharmacology enjoyed a socializing summer day in the "Gruga Park" having a barbecue.
Essen, 17.08.2015
Prof. Dobrev appointed Adjunct Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
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Starting August 1, Prof. Dobrev has been appointed as Adjunct Professor at Baylor College of Medicine (Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics), Houston, USA. This appointment offers further opportunities for him to deepen and expand his fruitful long-term collaboration with Prof. Xander Wehrens, Professor at the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Baylor College of Medicine. This private medical school has been consistently considered in the top-tier of programs in the country. In 2013, Baylor College of Medicine ranked 19th in terms of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Baylor also ranked in the top 20 in eight specialty areas, including number one in the nation for Genetics. A link to Baylor College of Medicine can be found here |
Essen, 07.08.2015
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel interviewed about overall condemnation of athleitics organisations
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Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel, associate member of the Insitute of Pharmacology and director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBPM) was recently interviewed by ÄrzteZeitung about condemnation of athleitics organisations in doping cases. The article “Pauschal-Verurteilung der Verbände bringt nichts!” (in German) can be found Essen, 03.08.2015
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel interviewed about athletes and doping
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Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel, associate member of the Insitute of Pharmacology and director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBPM) was recently interviewed by Spiegel ONLINE about recent discoveries of “ARD” and “Sunday times” regarding doping in athletics. The article “Doper sind heute viel vorsichtiger” (in German) can be found Essen, 20.07.2015
Prof. Stanley Nattel as Adjunct Professor at Institute of Pharmacology
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Starting July 1, Prof. Stanley Nattel will act as Adjunct Professor at Institute of Pharmacology. He is cardiologist and Paul-David Chair in Cardiovascular Electrophysiology at Montreal Heart Institute, University of Montreal, Canada, and the world-leading expert on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, the most frequent arrhythmia in the clinical practice. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. His research has been instrumental in elucidating the key molecular mechanisms controlling the alterations in atrial electrophysiology and ion channel dysfunction, atrial tissue derangements including fibrosis and in identifying novel drug targets for antiarrhythmic therapy in atrial fibrillation.Essen, 15.07.2015
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) ‘Veni’ grant for Dr. Jordi Heijman
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Dr. Jordi Heijman, long-term collaborator and affiliated member of the Institute of Pharmacology, has been awarded a prestigious Veni grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. Veni grants are intended for excellent young researchers at the start of their career, providing funding for their own independent position for 3 years. In 2015, 161 out of 1124 Veni applications were awarded across all disciplines, with only 23 (out of 187) applications awarded in the field of medicine. The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Dr. Heijman with this important achievement.Essen, 04.07.2015
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel interviewed about tour de france and doping
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Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel, associate member of the Institute of Pharmacology and director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBPM) was recently interviewed by “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” about his expertise in the field of doping and its effects on the german bike teams of this years “tour de france”. The article “Der Radsport hat diese Chance verdient” (in German) can be found Essen, 29.05.2015
DZHK-Paper of the month
The group of Prof. Dobrev, director of the Institute of Pharmacology, in a close collaboration with the group of Prof. Dierk Thomas from the University of Heidelberg published a study in Circulation (Schmidt et al., Circulation 2015; published online on May 7) showing for the first time that two-pore K+ channels contribute significantly to the proarrhythmic shortening of atrial action potential in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. This manuscript was selected by the German Cardiovascular Centre (DZHK) as the "DZHK-Paper of the month" (see http://dzhk.de/paper-of-the-month/).
Reference:
Schmidt C, Wiedmann F, Voigt N, Zhou XB, Heijman J, Lang S, Albert V, Kallenberger S, Ruhparwar A, Szabó G, Kallenbach K, Karck M, Borggrefe M, Biliczki P, Ehrlich JR, Baczkó I, Lugenbiel P, Schweizer PA, Donner BC, Katus HA, Dobrev D*, Thomas D* (2015) Upregulation of K2P3.1 K+ current causes action potential shortening in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Circulation, 132:82-92. *equally contributed senior authors.
Essen, 06.05.2015
Dr. Shokoufeh Ghezelbash receives Travel Award for EHRA EUROPACE - CARDIOSTIM 2015
Dr. Ghezelbash has been distinguished with a Travel Grant from the scientific committee of European Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology (EWGCCE) to present her work entitled “Determinants of Altered Atrial Na+-Ca2+ Exchanger Function in Chronic Atrial Fibrillation”. The 39th Annual Meeting of EWGCCE is hold this year in conjunction with the EHRA EUROPACE -CARDIOSTIM 2015 congress in June in Milan and will bring together many fields of basic and clinical research.
Essen, 23.04.2015
Ilona Maria Schirmer receives Travel Award for HRS 2015
Ilona Maria Schirmer was awarded with a Travel Grant from the “German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)” to present her study “Altered Composition of the Ryanodine Receptor Channel Complex in Patients with Chronic Atrial Fibrillation” at the Annual Meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society 2015 in Boston, USA. The HRS congress is the worldwide most important international meeting for cardiac arrhythmias integrating the many fields of basic and clinical research including disease management.
Essen, 01.04.2015
Pegah Erfanian-Abdoust receives Travel Award for the 81.Annual Spring Meeting of the German Society of Cardiology 2015
Pegah Erfanian-Abdoust has been awarded with a Travel Grant to present her poster entitled “Modelling the SERCA2a regulation by phospholamban and sarcolipin in the heart”. The 81th Annual Spring Meeting of German Society of Cardiology (DGK) is the biggest clinical society in Europe and brings many fields of basic and clinical research together.
Essen, 13.04.2015
Oskar Lapp Research Award
On April 9th, 2015, during the opening ceremony of the 81st annual scientific sessions of the German Cardiac Society, PD Dr. med. Niels Voigt and Dr. Jordi Heijman were awarded the Oskar Lapp Research Award for their joint publication “Cellular and molecular mechanisms of atrial arrhythmogenesis in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation” published in Circulation. Both Mrs. Lapp and her son were present during the award ceremony.
Essen, 03.03.2015
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel interviewed about soccer and doping
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Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel, associate member of the Institute of Pharmacology and director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBPM) was recently interviewed by several media including “Frankfurter Allgemeine” and “ZDF Morgenmagazin” about his expertise in the field of doping. The article “Fußballbranche will nichts gewusst haben” (in German) can be found Essen, 18.01.2015
Inaugural Lecture Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Niels Voigt
On January 16, 2015 at 15:00h, PD Dr. med. Niels Voigt gave his inaugural lecture: 'Mord aus zarter Hand – Berühmte Giftmorde aus Sicht eines Pharmakologen' as part of the completion of his habilitation. Dr. Voigt spoke about three famous cases of poisoning known from popular literature and analyzed them from the point of view of a pharmacologist. The lecture-hall (Deichmann-Auditorium) was almost fully occupied.
Essen, 15.01.2015
Drs. Voigt and Heijman win the 2015 Oskar Lapp Research Award of the German Cardiac Society
Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Niels Voigt and Dr. Jordi Heijman of the Institute of Pharmacology have been awarded the Oskar Lapp Research Award (Oskar-Lapp-Forschungspreis) 2015 of the German Cardiac Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie, DGK) for their joint publication ‘Cellular and Molecular Mechanims of Atrial Arrhythmogenesis in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation’ (Circulation 2014. 129: 145-156). The Oskar Lapp Research Award is an important award for scientists <35 years. It is the first award of the DGK without thematic restrictions. Its intention is to expand the horizons of human medicine. The award will be presented as part of the opening ceremony of the 81st Annual Meeting of the DGK on April 9, 2015 in Mannheim, Germany.
Essen, 19.12.2014
Invitation Inaugural Lecture PD Dr. med. Niels Voigt
On January 16, 2015 at 15:00h, PD Dr. med. Niels Voigt will give his inaugural lecture: 'Mord aus zarter Hand – Berühmte Giftmorde aus Sicht eines Pharmakologen' as part of the completion of his habilitation. The official invitation can be found here.
Essen, 17.12.2014
Merry Christmas from the Institute of Pharmacology
The Institute of Pharmacology wishes everyone a happy holiday season, merry Christmas, and all the best for 2015!
Essen, 07.11.2014
Institute of Pharmacology hosts the EUTRAF review meeting
On Tuesday, November 4, and Wednesday November 5, the Institute of Pharmacology hosted the 4th year review meeting of the “The European Network for Translational Research in Atrial Fibrillation” (EUTRAF), a European network funded as part of the FP7 program. Approximately 50 scientists traveled to Essen and, after a welcome by Prof. Dr. Forsting, vice-dean of research of the Faculty of Medicine, University Duisburg-Essen, and Prof. Dr. Heusch, director of the Institute of Pathophysiology, and chair of the West German Heart and Vascular Center, exchanged the latest results in translational atrial fibrillation research.
Essen, 31.08.2014
Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase Type-II induces maladaptive cardiac remodeling but inhibits calcineurin-induced myocardial hypertrophy
Prof. Dobrev, director of the Institute of Pharmacology contributed to a study published in Circulation by the group of Prof. Johannes Backs from the University of Heidelberg. The study by Kreusser et al. (Circulation 2014; published online on August 15) shows for the first time that both the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type-II (CaMKII) δ and γ isoforms contribute to the phosphorylation of various targets, including phospholamban, the cardiac ryanodine receptor, and protein phosphatase calcineurin. Double knock-out mice lacking CaMKIIδ and CaMKIIγ were protected from cardiac dysfunction and interstitial fibrosis following pathological pressure overload. Interestingly, however, double knock-out mice did develop cardiac hypertrophy, which was found to be due to excessive calcineurin activation resulting from a lack of CaMKII-dependent phosphorylation of the auto-inhibitory site Ser411 of calcineurin. Taken together, this novel mouse model, in which CaMKII activity is specifically and completely abolished, shows that CaMKII induces maladaptive cardiac remodeling while it inhibits calcineurin-dependent hypertrophy. These data suggest inhibition of CaMKII, but not calcineurin, as a promising approach to attenuate the progression of heart failure.
Reference:
Kreusser MM, Lehmann LH, Keranov S, Hoting M-O, Kohlhaas M, Reil J-C, Neumann K, Schneider MD, Hill JA, Dobrev D, Maack C, Maier LS, Gröne H-J, Katus HA, Olson EN, Backs J (2014) The cardiac CaMKII genes δ and γ contribute redundantly to adverse remodeling but inhibit calcineurin-induced myocardial hypertrophy. Circulation, published online on Aug 15 (DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.006185).
Essen, 19.06.2014
Prof. Dobrev joins the Editorial Board of Circulation
Prof. Dobrev was asked and joined the Editorial Board of the journal Circulation. Circulation is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and is the official journal of the American Heart Association. The Journal ranks #1 among journals in the Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems category and #1 among journals in the Peripheral Vascular Disease category (according to the 2012 Journal Citation Reports®, Thomson Reuters, 2013). A link to the journal can be found here: http://circ.ahajournals.org/
Essen, 06.06.2014
Dr. Niels Voigt completes habilitation
Yesterday, Dr. Niels Voigt successfully completed his habilitation with a presentation for the faculty council on generic drugs, addressing the question whether they are a true equivalent to the original preparation. In Germany, the habilitation (from Latin “habilis”, meaning "fit, proper, skillful") is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his own pursuit. It requires publication of numerous papers, as well as teaching duties. The Institute of Pharmacology congratulates Dr. Voigt with this important milestone!
Essen, 21.05.2014
Circulation Research Atrial Fibrillation Compendium
Members of the Institute of Pharmacology contributed to the most recent Compendium in Circulation Research about Atrial Fibrillation (AF). The AF compendium, which was edited by Prof. Stanley Nattel (Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Canada), provides a collection of review articles describing the clinical profile, genetic underpinnings, and cellular and molecular mechanisms of AF, as well as reviews of the role of the autonomic nervous system, mathematical approaches to understanding AF, and AF therapy. In particular, members of the Institute of Pharmacology wrote the article ´Cellular and Molecular Electrophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation Initiation, Maintenance, and Progression´ and contributed to ´The Clinical Profile and Pathophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation: Relationships Among Clinical Features, Epidemiology, and Mechanisms´. According to Circulation Research, these compendia are considered “a one-stop shop for basic, translational, and clinical investigators who wish to gather a comprehensive assessment of a problem” (link)
References:
Heijman J*, Voigt N*, Nattel S, Dobrev D (2014) Compendium: Cellular and Molecular Electrophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation Initiation, Maintenance and Progression. Circ Res, 114(9): 1483-1499. *equally contributed first authors
Andrade J, Khairy P, Dobrev D, Nattel S (2014) The Clinical Profile and Pathophysiology of Atrial Fibrillation: Relationships among Clinical Features, Epidemiology, and Mechanisms. Circ Res, 114(9): 1453-1468.
Essen, 27.03.2014
Visit Prof. Stanley Nattel
On Tuesday, March 25th and Wednesday March 26th, the Institute of Pharmacology was proud to have Prof. Stanley Nattel (Department of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute and Université de Montréal and Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada) as a guest. Prof. Nattel gave a well-attended presentation as part of the Faculty of Medicine Seminar Series and was involved in numerous discussions with members of the institute about joint projects.
Essen, 18.03.2014
Visit Prof. Xander Wehrens
On Monday, March 17, long-term collaborator Prof. Xander Wehrens (Cardiovascular Research Institute, Departments of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Medicine-Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX) visited the Institute of Pharmacology. Prof. Wehrens presented recent data from his lab about the role of cardiac ryanodine receptor channel regulation in atrial fibrillation and participated in discussions about ongoing collaborative projects.
Essen, 01.03.2014
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel interviewed about athletes and doping
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Prof. Dr. Fritz Sörgel, associate member of the Insitute of Pharmacology and director of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research (IBPM) was recently interviewed by several media including the German “Ärztezeitung” about his expertise in the field of doping. The article “Für Gold würden viele sterben” (in German) can be found Essen, 14.01.2014
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Atrial Arrhythmogenesis in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia with increasing incidence in aging population. Although the cellular electrophysiological abnormalities in patients with long-standing persistent AF had been studied in some detail before, the atrial-cellular pathophysiology in patients with paroxysmal AF (pAF) was largely unknown until now.
Members of the Institute of Pharmacology published a study in the most recent edition of Circulation (Voigt et al. Circulation 2014; 129(2): 145-156), showing for the first time the cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to atrial arrhythmogenesis in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). This paper was selected for presentation in the “Best of Basic Science” Session at the Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association (Dallas, USA) and following expedited editorial consideration appeared simultaneously online on November 18, 2013, in Circulation.
In this study, simultaneous measurements of intracellular [Ca2+] and membrane current/potential in atrial cardiomyocytes from sinus rhythm and pAF patients showed that L-type Ca2+ currents and action potential durations were unaltered in pAF, pointing to the absence of typical AF-promoting atrial remodeling. However, cardiomyocytes from pAF patients showed Ca2+-handling abnormalities including enhanced diastolic sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak and increased susceptibility to spontaneous diastolic SR Ca2+-release events, causing proarrhythmic delayed afterdepolarizations and ectopic (triggered) activities.
Pharmacological and biochemical studies indicated that the susceptibility to spontaneous cellular activity in pAF was attributable to enhanced SR Ca2+ uptake, resulting from phospholamban hyperphosphorylation, and ryanodine receptor (SR Ca2+-release) channel dysregulation. Simulation studies indicated that both these factors likely contribute synergistically to aberrant diastolic SR Ca2+-release events.
Our findings constitute the first direct evidence for an important role of Ca2+-dependent ectopic activity in atrial arrhythmogenesis of pAF patients and provide insights into underlying mechanisms. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying abnormal Ca2+ handling in pAF are distinct from those of long-standing persistent AF patients, suggesting possible opportunities to develop tailored therapeutic approaches for pAF.
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Essen, 17.12.2013
Manuscript highlighted in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology’s “The Year in Review of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology”
A paper written by members from the Institute of Pharmacology was highlighted in the most recent edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology as part of “The Year in Review of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology” (J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2013; 65:2433-2447).
In this publication (Voigt et al. Circulation. 2012;125:2059-2070), we showed that atrial myocytes isolated from right atrial appendages from patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (cAF) exhibit potentially proarrhythmic Ca2+-handling abnormalities. We assessed the underlying molecular mechanisms, and identified a causal role for Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-II (CaMKII)-dependent dysfunction of ryanodine receptor type-2 channels, contributing to abnormal (increased) diastolic Ca2+ leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and a greater incidence of spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release events. In addition, an increased Na+/Ca2+exchanger expression in cAF resulted in an enhanced depolarizing transient-inward current for any given diastolic Ca2+-release. Together, these factors contributed to AF-promoting atrial delayed afterdepolarizations in AF patients. Our results show for the first time that delayed afterdepolarizations and related ectopic (triggered) activity may contribute to induction and maintenance of AF in patients constituting a potential target for future anti-AF therapy.
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Essen, 30.10.2013
Dr. Jordi Heijman receives CARIM Dissertation Award 2011/2012
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Dr. Jordi Heijman received the 2011/2012 dissertation award of the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM) for his PhD thesis entitled "Computational analysis of β-adrenergic stimulation and its effects on cardiac ventricular electrophysiology". The award was presented by Prof. Dr. Thomas Unger, scientific director of CARIM, during CARIM's 25 year anniversary.
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Essen, 17.10.2013
Oxidized Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase Type-II Triggers Atrial Fibrillation in Mice
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Members of the Institute of Pharmacology contributed to a study published in the most recent edition of Circulation by the group of Prof. Anderson of the University of Iowa. The study by Purohit et al. (Circulation 2013; 128(16): 1748-1757) shows for the first time that the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type-II (CaMKII) provides a molecular signal linking increased reactive oxygen species and Ca2+ signaling to atrial fibrillation (AF). In particular, levels of oxidized CaMKII were increased in patients with AF. Elevation of reactive-oxygen species through infusion of angiotensin-II and subsequent oxidation of CaMKII increased the susceptibility to pacing-induced AF in wild-type mice by promoting Ca2+-handling abnormalities. However, mice with myocardium-restricted overexpression of methionine sulfoxide reductase A (an enzyme reducing CaMKII oxidation) or knock-in mice which had critical CaMKIIδ oxidation sites disabled were resistant to AF induction following angiotensin-II infusion. Taken together, these studies highlight a critical role for CaMKII oxidation in linking increased reactive oxygen species and AF.
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Essen, 25.09.2013
Visit Prof Stanley Nattel and 2013 ENAFRA Leducq Meeting
On Tuesday, August 27, Prof. Stanley Nattel (Department of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute and Université de Montréal and Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Canada) visited the Institute of Pharmacology. That evening, all scientific members of the institute travelled together with Prof. Nattel to Maastricht, The Netherlands, for the final meeting of the European/North-American Atrial Fibrillation Research Alliance (ENAFRA), an international network funded by Fondation Leducq.
Essen, 30.05.2013
Dr. Niels Voigt obtaines medical specialization in pharmacology and toxicology
Dr. Niels Voigt has obtained his medical specialization in pharmacology and toxicology ("Facharzt für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie").
Essen, 18.04.2013
Dr. Niels Voigt receives travel grant EWGCCE
Dr. Niels Voigt has received a travel award to attend the 37th Annual Meeting of the European Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology (EWGCCE) in Athens, Greece in June 2013.
Essen, 10.04.2013
MicroRNA29: A Mechanistic Contributor and Potential Biomarker in Atrial Fibrillation
In the most recent edition of Circulation, members of the Institute of Pharmacology contributed to a study by the group of Prof. Nattel of the Montreal Heart Institute identifying a critical role for microRNA (miR) 29b in atrial fibrotic remodeling. In the study by Dawson et al. (Circulation 2013;127:1466-1475), it was shown that miR29b is rapidly decreased in a dog model of ventricular pacing and that plasma levels of miR29b are decreased in patients with atrial fibrillation, heart failure, or both. Of note, the latter group showed significantly lower levels than those with atrial fibrillation or heart failure alone. MiR29b inhibits expression of several profibrotic genes including collagen 1A1, collagen 3A1 and fibrillin and the reduction in miR29b in fibroblasts was associated with elevated levels of these profibrotic targets. Importantly, an in vivo reduction of miR29b using adenovirus-mediated overexpression of a mir29B ‘sponge’ in mice was associated with increased fibrosis. Taken together, our work suggests for the first time that miR29b is a strong candidate to modulate atrial structural remodeling and has potential as a candidate biomarker for atrial fibrillation.
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Essen, 26.03.2013
Two papers highlighted in Circulation’s ‘Most Read Articles in Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology’
Two papers co-authored by members of the Institute of Pharmacology where highlighted in the most recent edition of Circulation Editors’ Picks: Most Read Articles in Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology (Circulation. 2013; 127:e509-519).
In the first paper that was highlighted (Voigt et al. Circulation. 2012;125:2059-2070), we showed that atrial myocytes isolated from right atrial appendages from patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) showed pronounced Ca2+-handling abnormalities compared to myocytes from patients in sinus rhythm. Ryanodine receptor channels showed a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent increase in open probability in AF, contributing to increased Ca2+ leak from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and an increased incidence of spontaneous sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release events. In addition, there was an increased Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression in cAF, contributing to an increased Ca2+/membrane potential coupling gain. Together, these factors contributed to AF-promoting atrial delayed afterdepolarizations in AF patients. These findings add to our appreciation of the phenomenon of AF begets AF, indicating that, in addition to the well-established tendency of AF to promote its own persistence by remodeling the reentrant substrate, it can enhance spontaneous ectopic (triggered) activity, which induces reentry.
In the second paper (Harada et al. Circulation. 2012:126;2051-2064), it was shown that transient receptor potential canonical-3 (TRPC3) channels regulate cardiac fibroblast proliferation and differentiation by controlling Ca2+ influx and activating extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling. TRPC3 expression was increased in patients with chronic AF and various experimental AF models via an NFAT-mediated downregulation of microRNA-26, desuppressing TRPC3 expression. TRPC3 blockade inhibited the development of a vulnerable substrate for AF in a dog model of rapid atrial pacing. Together, these data suggest that TRPC3 plays an important role in structural remodeling in atrial fibrillation and is a novel potential therapeutic target.
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