Pak1 and abnormal heart rhythms

Investigating the molecular and cellular basis underlying Pak1 intervention in Ca2+-dependent ventricular arrhythmogenesis  

Dr Ming Lei and his colleagues at the University of Oxford are working out whether an enzyme called Pak1 could be controlled to treat abnormal heart rhythms, also known as arrhythmias. When arrhythmias affect the ventricles, the lower pumping chambers of the heart, they can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Current treatments for ventricular arrhythmias are limited, so we need new treatments to prevent and treat arrhythmia. Dr Lei has recently discovered that an enzyme called P21-activated kinase1 (Pak1) has a protective role because it can alter proteins in heart cells that help to control the rate and rhythm of the heart. In this project, Dr Lei will find out if stimulating Pak1 using drugs can prevent ventricular arrhythmias. He will examine what happens when Pak1 signalling is altered during stress conditions, and will study the effects that Pak1 has on the heart as a whole, as well as on individual cells and protein function. This exciting research could reveal if altering Pak1 might could be a new way to treat heart arrhythmias and prevent sudden cardiac death.