Group strategy

The major focus of our research group is:

1. to uncover the mechanisms that control the responsiveness of cardiac receptors for neurotransmitters and neurohormones (G protein-coupled receptors) involved in regulation of cardiac growth and contractility in health and disease.
2. to unravel the signaling pathways involved in pathologic myocardial hypertrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and progression of heart failure.

The group is currently investigating the role of matricellular CCN proteins in normal physiologic regulation of the heart, the role of CCN proteins in regulation of tolerance towards ischemia/reperfusion injury and in the pathophysiology of heart failure. Another major ongoing project is aimed at deciphering the physiologic roles of four different cardiac G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRK2, GRK3, GRK5, and GRK6), i.e. enzymes that catalyze phosphorylation and desensitization of G protein-coupled receptors, and to resolving the putative involvement of any of these kinases in pathologic hypertrophy and heart failure. The purpose of these investigations is to provide new knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of pathologic myocardial remodelling and heart failure in order to identify targets for development of novel pharmacologic treatment modalities.