The biophysical events responsible for electrical and mechanical activity of cardiac cells under physiological and pathophysiological conditions are investigated. The program includes the exploration of specific conditions underlying development of irregular excitations in cardiac cells (the cause of cardiac arrhythmias) and exploration of possibilities of pharmacological interventions with therapeutic effects. The principal method of this research is computational modelling using mathematical models of cardiac cells formulated on the basis of experimental data obtained from electrophysiological experiments in laboratories of our and foreign collaborating institutions.

Collaboration:

Structural scheme of the mathematical model of a rat cardiac cell.
From Pásek et al.: Eur. Biophys. J., 2012, Vol. 41, p. 491-503.
 

Related papers:

Pásek M., Šimurda, J., Orchard, C.H.: Role of t-tubules in the control of trans-sarcolemmal ion flux and intracellular Ca²⁺ in a model of the rat cardiac ventricular myocyte. Eur. Biophys. J., 2012, Vol. 41, p. 491-503.

Orchard C.H., Pásek M., Brette F.: The role of mammalian cardiac t-tubules in excitation-contraction coupling: experimental and computational approaches (review). Exp. Physiol., 2009, Vol. 94, p. 509-519.

Pásek M., Brette F., Nelson A., Pearce C., Qaiser A., Christé G., Orchard C.H.: Quantification of t-tubule area and protein distribution in rat cardiac ventricular myocytes. Prog. Biophys. Mol. Biol., 2008, Vol. 96, p. 244-257.

Pásek M., Šimurda J., Orchard C.H., Christé G.: A model of the guinea-pig ventricular cardiac myocyte incorporating a transverse-axial tubular system. Prog. Biophys. Mol. Biol., 2008, Vol. 96, p. 258-280.

Pásek M., Šimurda J., Christé G.: The functional role of cardiac T-tubules in a model of rat ventricular myocytes. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A., 2006, Vol. 364, p. 1187-1206.