Kathleen Christie

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Genetics
• Investigating the Role of Rho Kinase in Cardiomyocytes during Heart Development

Heart disease accounts for approximately one third of all deaths, and it can result from an abnormality in the heart which has occurred during development of the baby. As the heart develops the muscle layer becomes thicker and is therefore able to pump the blood efficiently around the body. One form of cardiovascular disease, left ventricular non-compaction, is thought to result from a defect in the thickening of the muscle during embryonic heart development. Using a mouse model we are investigating how this process occurs normally and what the consequences are to the adult heart when this goes wrong.

Funding Source: Genetic Society