Myocardial metabolism and mechanics in cardiovascular physiology
Our laboratory uses a combination of experimental and systems modeling approaches to understanding the operation of physiological systems in health and disease. Current projects use multi-scale models to simulate the integrated operation of metabolic pathways (e.g., oxidative ATP synthesis in the heart), cellular functions (e.g., cellular calcium handling and actin/myosin cross-bridge dynamics), whole-organ function (e.g., mechanics of cardiac pumping), and whole-body body cardiopulmonary function. Dr. Beard currently supervises trainees from several different degree-granting programs in the university, and organizes and teaches in courses in physiology, bioinformatics, and computational biology.
In this project we are probing the molecular and cellular coupling of energy metabolism and cardiomyocyte mechanics.
The goal of this project is to gain a quantitative predictive understanding of muscle metabolism under a range of dynamic conditions.Â
Under this project we are constructing digital twins from patient record data and combining machine learning and precision phenotyping to guide diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment in heart failure
In this project we are investigating how the biochemical/metabolic state of the heart in heart failure limits reserve cardiac power capacity.