Research Assistant Professor
Daniela.PonceBalbuena@osumc.edu
Research Interests
My research area is basic cardiac electrophysiology and molecular mechanism of ion channels regulation. The focus of my research is study cardiac ion channels as part of macromolecular complexes and the role of the dysfunction of such complexes in arrhythmia mechanisms. We also focus our studies to assess the role of certain drugs as therapy to prevent or delay the development of arrhythmia susceptibility. Our team utilize a variety of experimental approaches, including patch-clamp, molecular biology, surface electrocardiograms and intracardiac recordings to study molecular mechanism of ion channels regulation and mechanism of arrhythmias.
We had showed the importance of considering effects of trafficking defective mutations on functional expression of other ion channels and proteins that are part of the same macromolecular complex. The studies offered a novel paradigm for the molecular mechanism of arrhythmia susceptibility in monogenic ion channel diseases, like Andersen-Tawil Syndrome and Brugada Syndrome. In addition, we showed a Kir2.1 Interactome Mapping uncovering novel proteins that regulate Kir2.1 channel. Overall, my lab. study novel molecular mechanisms of regulation of cardiac ion channels as part of macromolecular complexes, and the arrhythmogenic mechanisms associated with disease-producing proteins dysfunction that modify ion channels complexes.
Education and Training
PhD, Universidad de Colima, Mexico
Post-Doctoral, University of Michigan, USA