Section Chief
Samuel Dudley, MD, PhD (View lab Web site »)
Professor of Medicine and Chief, Section of Cardiology, recipient of National Institute of Health, Veterans Administration and American Heart Association funding. Dr. Dudley’s research focuses on cardiac biology. He has contributed to understanding the structure, regulation, and pathophysiology of the cardiac sodium channel, including 1) describing the function of the promoter, 2) describing transcriptional effects of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), 3) identifying a new gene for Brugada syndrome, and 4) identifying transcription dysregulation in human heart failure (HF). These discoveries have lead to a plausible hypothesis for the anti-arrhythmic effects of RAS inhibitors, a possible blood test to predict arrhythmic risk in HF, and a potential new treatment for this risk. He is investigating how the RAS system and reactive oxygen species contribute to atrial fibrillation (AF) by downregulation of channels involved in impulse conduction. AF results in increased oxidative stress, most predominantly in the left atrium. This endocardial remodeling contributes to the propensity for thrombus formation in this chamber and may represent part of the reason for the success of ablation strategies focused on this chamber. This line of investigation has led to insights into oxidative stress and diastolic HF, a potential new blood test for AF risk, and a human clinical trial to see statins will reduce atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrences. Finally, he has developed a tissue engineered approach for cardiac cell replacement. He was one of the earliest figures in the development of embryonic stem cells for this use and recently described a new approach to increase cell engraftment.
