TRAINING IN PHARMACOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY & PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES 2008 ASPET SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
The Institute of Molecular Pharmacology and Biophysics, College of Medicine is pleased to offer this research project as part of the 2008 summer ASPET SURF Training Program offered by the Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics.  Students interested in this project are advised to contact Professor Bodi to discover more about the project, learn what your responsibilities will be during the ten-week research training program.
2008 ASPET SURF Project #:  08 - 013 Faculty Supervisors/Mentors: Arnold Schwartz, Ph.D., D.Sci. Distinguished University Professor and Director Ilona F. Bodi, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate Institute of Molecular Pharmacology & Biophysics College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Email:  bodiif@uc.edu
Project Title: Role of Calcium Channel Components Proteins in Cardiac                        Inotropic and Lusitropic Responses to β1 Adrenergic Receptor                                  Agonists
Research Program Description: The research program in the Schwartz laboratory is focused on isolation and characterization of receptors for calcium modulating drugs, mechanisms of regulation of ion-gated channels and control of cellular calcium.  The Schwartz laboratory has established and maintains transgenic mice colonies that are the primary resources for the research program. One transgenic line carries an over-expressed pore unit of the L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (L-VDDC).  A second line has an accessory subunit of the L-VDCC that is knocked out.  In vivo, ex vivo, molecular, and genetic technologies support the research program and specific research projects.  Ion channel electrophysiology, cellular biomechanics, intracellular calcium dynamics, and cardiac function characterization are explored in the context of receptor mediated drug ligand experimental designs.
ASPET SURF Project Description: The ASPET SURF student will be directly co-supervised by Drs. Schwartz and Bodi to manage, manipulate, and study features of transgenic mice with cardiac muscle cell defects in protein components of the L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (L-VDCC).  The ASPET SURF student, under Dr. Bodi’s daily guidance, will learn to anesthetize mice and to remove the heart for ex vivo study.  The ASPET SURF student will characterize responses in specific cardiac variables to dobutamine, a β1-adrenergic receptor selective agonist.  Dose-response protocols will be performed by the ASPET SURF student after the heart is attached to a coronary arterial perfusion apparatus. After steady state is reached, increasing concentrations of dobutamine will be infused in the coronary circulation and a concentration-response obtained for heart rate and left ventricular contraction (+DP/Dt) and relaxation (-DP/Dt) response variables. The student will also be given an opportunity to learn how to perform biomechanical, biochemical, electrophysiological, and pharmacological studies on isolated single heart muscle cells. The ASPET SURF student will collect, compile, analyze, interpret and graph, and communicate results from these experiments.  The ASPET SURF student can expect to accomplish sufficient numbers and quality of experiments during the summer training period to make significant research contributions that will lead to co-authorship on subsequent publications.