Christopher Loughrey

Biography

I am a Senior Lecturer based in the British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre (BHF GCRC) within the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences. I graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2000 with a degree in Veterinary Medicine with commendation. I subsequently completed my PhD in 2003 having established how different FK-506 binding proteins (FKBP12.6/12.0/calstabin) alter cardiomyocyte calcium handling using novel confocal-based imaging techniques. I subsequently held a post-doctoral position at the University of Glasgow during which time I worked in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company to discover the cardiac-related action of novel therapeutic drugs (K201/JTV519). In 2005 I was appointed as Lecturer then Senior Lecturer (2010) and during my academic tenure I have been Principal Investigator on a number of project grants funded by the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Heart Research UK, Medical Research Scotland and Chief Scientist Office.

Research Interest

The primary focus of my laboratory is to utilise an integrative approach to study the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction and heart failure and in doing so identify new drug targets with translational potential in this area of unmet clinical need. Key research areas in which we have considerable expertise include: cathepsins; Runt-related transcription factors (Runx1, Runx2 and Runx3); sarcoplasmic reticulum–mediated calcium handling; and ryanodine receptor function. To complement this approach, my research group also investigates disease states that can have a detrimental impact on the heart including African trypanosomiasis, Barth Syndrome and Rett Syndrome. My laboratory has practical expertise in a number of methodologies which span the level of the single cell, isolated organ, whole animal in vivo and patient including: confocal microscopy, single cell electrophysiology, fluorescence measurements/imaging, Western blotting, PCR, whole heart techniques (Langendorff perfusion and working heart preparations) and in vivo cardiovascular measurements/micro-surgery (e.g. intra-ventricular pressure-volume measurements, electrocardiography and mouse models of myocardial infarction and ischaemia–reperfusion injury).