Directory of Experts
Details for Professor Clive Orchard
| Personal details | |
| Name | Professor Clive Orchard |
| Job title | Professor |
| Department | School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 331 8092 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | B.Sc., Ph.D.(Lond.), D.Sc. |
| Professional details | |
| Membership of professional bodies | British Society for Cardiovascular Research The Physiological Society (President 2008-10) Biophysical Society (U.S.A.) International Society for Heart Research Fellow of the Society of Biology |
| Keywords | cardiac excitation-contraction coupling intracellular Ca2+ intracellular messenger pathways t-tubules cardiac ventricular myocytes surface membrane ion handling |
| Areas of expertise | My research is focused on cardiac excitation-contraction coupling and its regulation. Using a variety of techniques (for example voltage clamp, fluorescent ion indicators,whole cell and confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and computer modelling) we are investigating how the rise of intracellular Ca2+ that causes contraction is initiated, and how it is regulated by intracellular 2nd messenger pathways. A particular interest is the role of the t-tubules (invaginations of the surface membrane of cardiac ventricular myocytes) in this process. We have recently developed a technique that allows us to physically and functionally uncouple the t-tubules from the surface membrane, enabling us to investigate their function. Using this technique we have been able to show that the t-tubules form a specialised region of the cell membrane for ion handling. |