Current Research Interests

Research focuses on cardiac dysfunction and changes in calcium handling. The first project investigates the changes in calcium movements and transients, in cultured myocytes, and the effects and affects of cytokines. Second messenger systems, such as adenylate cyclase and G-protein phosphorylation are monitored, to attempt to elucidate their role in cytokine induced alterations in ion flux. Much of this work involves scanning laser confocal microscopy and real-time digital imaging with the LSR/Olympus Concord system, and a myriad of fluorescent probes for ions, pH and subcellular organelle localization.

The second undertaking is related to the above research, but is clinical in nature. Patients experiencing end-stage heart disease are often fitted with an assist device while awaiting a donor heart. Recently, together with a team from the Texas Heart Institute, we have found that this ventricular unloading actually allows the heart to repair to a certain extent, so that in some cases a transplant is no longer a requirement. Biochemical, physiological and morphological changes are being investigated, together with receptor alterations and cytokine synthesis.

Project number 3 is more or less a combination of the two above. Rheumatic fever, for so long a rarity in the United States, has made a resurgence because of bacterial immunity and mutations. In conjunction with Dr. David Young in this department, and collaborators at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, we have studied the effects of rheumatic fever serum on cultured cardiac myocytes. At present, the culprit growth factors and cytokines, are being identified in the hope that an appropriate treatment for advanced rheumatic fever can be formulated. Cytokine antibodies in inflammatory disease e.g., anti-TNF in rheumatoid arthritis, are now drawing a great deal of focus in both the research and clinical medicine arenas.

In a collaborative undertaking with Drs. Jim and Olivia Smith, Dr. Rick Sifers and Dr. George Taffet at the Huffington center on aging, we have elucidated a number of mechanisms and protein syntheses that are instrumental in the pathway of immortalization to senescence. Tumor cells, for the most part, have been used so far, but these techniques and experiments are now being undertaken to elucidate aging mechanisms in cardiac tissue.

Recent papers:-

Bick, Poindexter, Buja, Taegtmeyer, Richartz, Radovancevic and Frazier. Improved sarcoplasmic reticulum function after mechanical left ventricular unloading. J. Cardiovas. Path. 1998 Bick, Snuggs, Poindexter, Buja and Van Winkle. Physical, contractile and calcium handling properties of neonatal cardiac myocytes cultured on different matrices. Cell Adhes. Comm. 1998

Bick, Liao, King, LeMaistre, McMillin and Buja. Temporal effects of cytokines on neonatal cardiac myocyte Ca2+ transients and adenylate cyclase activity. AJP, 272, 1997

Bick, Buja, Van Winkle and Taffet, membrane asymmetry in isolated canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum: comparison with skeletal muscle SR. J. Mem. Biol., July 1998

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