Welcome to the Ploidy and Organ Physiology Laboratory

​​Why some cells multiply their genome and become polyploid during their life cycle (i.e., somatic polyploidy)?  How does somatic polyploidy influence cellular behavior and organ function?

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We study cardiomyocytes - cardiac muscle cells responsible for the contractile function of the heart.  BUT, not all cardiomyocytes are equal!  In regenerative organisms like zebrafish, cardiomyocytes are predominantly diploid.  In non-regenerative organisms like rodents and humans, cardiomyocytes are mostly polyploid. 

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We want to understand

(a) How mammalian cardiomyocytes become polyploid?

(b) How polyploidy affects cardiomyocyte and heart function?

(c) Inducing cardiomyocyte cytokinesis as a therapeutic approach?

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