RESEARCH LINES

The Cardiovascular Pharmacology Group (CFG) is integrated into the CIBER network in its Cardiovascular Diseases category (CIBERCV) comprised of 40 research groups from 24 different institutions whose selection is based on scientific excellence. CIBERCV work is organized around 6 lines of research focused on the main cardiovascular health challenges, with 4 longitudinal programs (myocardial damage, arterial disease, heart failure and structural cardiopathy) and 2 transversal programs (biomarkers and platforms, and epidemiology and cardiovascular prevention).

Our group is also integrated as a consolidated group into the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón and the Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada (Ibis. GRANADA), respectively, since its foundation.

There are two main research areas combined in the CPG: one dedicated to cardiac cellular electrophysiology and the other focused on cardiovascular pharmacology.

As far as the cardiac cellular electrophysiology area is concerned, the main goals of research line are:

  • To analyze the biology and regulation of cardiac ion channels, as well as the consequences of their interaction with other ion channels and scaffolding proteins.
  • To identify new genes responsible for genetically determined inherited arrhythmia syndromes (GDIAS), and to perform functional studies of the electrophysiological implication of those mutations at a molecular and cellular level [in human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM)]
  • To identify cellular electrophysiological alterations in the electrical remodeling induced by atrial fibrillation in order to determine new targets for the treatment of the most prevalent arrhythmia.

We would like to highlight that all these lines of research are focused on translational research which has led us to participate in research networks, to found and direct the ITACA consortium (Translational Research in Cardiac Arrhythmia) for the study of GDIAS (https://www.itaca.edu.es/index-ingles.htm), as well as to collaborate with the Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Departments at Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón.

Importantly, in terms of cardiovascular pharmacology we work on a research line related to cardiovascular diseases pharmacological therapy which is carried out in close collaboration with the European Society of Cardiology.

Developing these research lines implies the use of different methods: action potentials recording (glass microelectrodes), ion currents recording (patch-clamp technique), cellular biology techniques (western blot), immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, ion channel modeling.