WHAT WE DO
Ongoing Projects
Project Areas
Here you will find a brief introduction to current project areas available to our trainees. Projects are designed to give students a comprehensive experience conducting scientific research. They will be exposed to a variety of laboratory techniques including:
Molecular cloning
Tissue culture
Viral gene transfer
Primary cell isolation
Tissue histology
Immunohistochemistry
In vivo animal work
If you are a current or future SJSU student interested in joining the team, please visit the Contact page for more information.
Time-lapse imaging of cardiomyocyte cell division in culture. Video by Alex Payumo.
Catecholamine Signaling
Catecholamines are released from sympathetic nerves to modulate cardiomyocyte contractile responses by activating adrenergic receptors. We are interested in understanding how adrenergic signaling influences cardiomyocyte cell-cycle activity and ploidy.
Mitochondria
Cardiomyocyte metabolism shifts towards mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation during postnatal development. We are interested in understanding how mitochondrial homeostasis and function impact cardiomyocyte cell-cycle regulation.
3D Live-Cell Imaging
Cardiomyocyte cell-cycle resolution is complex and conventional proliferative marker analyses can be misleading. We are employing a non-invasive long-term live-cell imaging approach to monitor cardiomyocyte behavior in 3D space.