Biography

Personal Statement
The long-term goal of my Laboratory of Cardiac and Vascular Phenomics is to define the functional role and underlying mechanisms of ion channels, especially Cl- channels, in the heart and vascular system in the context of health and disease. I have been working in the cardiovascular research field for 30 years and have specific training and expertise in all research areas for the accomplishment of the goals, with a broad background in ion channels, cardiac electrophysiology, hemodynamics, pharmacology, cellular and molecular biology, functional genomics and proteomics. I have the expertise, leadership and motivation necessary to successfully carry out innovative and translational research. I earned my MD degree in 1982 and practiced as physician for 2 years. As a graduate student (1984-1987) and Assistant Professor of Pharmacology (1987-1991) at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences I carried out research on cardiac function and hemodynamics using both isolated working heart preparations and whole animal models. As a PhD student at McGill University and Montreal Heart Institute I discovered a novel basally-activated Cl- current (ICl.b) in cardiac myocytes in 1992 and went on a series of research on the biophysical, pharmacological, and molecular properties of Cl- channels in the heart. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine I gained more training in the ion channel physiology and molecular biology field. As a PI on an AHA-funded grant-in-aid, I discovered a novel inwardly-rectifying Cl- channel (Cl.ir) in the heart and on an NIH-funded R01 grant we further studied the molecular mechanisms and regulation and physiological function of the CLC-2 encoded cardiac Cl.ir channels. During this period of time I also expanded my research to include functional genomics and proteomics. As a PI on a COBRE project and an Innovation Award from American Diabetes Association, I established several mouse models of cardiac diseases (ischemia/reperfusion, pressure overload myocardial hypertrophy and heart failure) and developed a variety of functional assay methods and technologies such as telemetry ECG and blood pressure system, echocardiography, mitochondrial functional studies etc. I also successfully administered the projects (e.g. budget, supervising staff and trainees, research protections), collaborated with other researchers on several NIH-funded grants, and kept a high productivity from each project with peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals, including Nature, Physiological Review, Circulation, and Circulation Research. As a result, I am well aware of the importance of conducting innovative and translational research. In summary, I have a demonstrated track record of innovative and productive research. My expertise and experience have laid the groundwork for the guidance of the current research in my lab, which will open new field of investigation on the novel function and mechanism of several important Cl- channels and novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases.