Is energy regulation by ion channels important for cardioprotection?

Regulation of subsarcolemmal ATP by sarcolemmal KATP channels; is it important for cardioprotection?

Heart failure is a debilitating disease that has several causes, including heart attack. During heart failure many of the heart’s natural systems malfunction, including its ability to use its stores of energy effectively to produce a regular heartbeat. Tiny channels in the surface membranes of cells play an important role in normal energy metabolism in the heart, acting as gates to let in the right molecules to stimulate each individual heart cell to contract. Professor Aleksandar Jovanovic from the University of Dundee is investigating particular channels which let potassium in and out of cells. These channels are key in making heart cells turn their stores of energy into a heartbeat. Learning more about these channels could help lead to new understanding of heart failure, and even make a step towards new treatments.