معرفی
Abigail Wilson is a Visiting Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG), conducting research in Prof. Pawel Swietach's group funded by the British Heart Foundation. Her work investigates intracellular H+ ion control in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure using confocal microscopy and live-cell fluorescence imaging to quantify functional pathophysiological changes in cardiac cells.
She earned her DPhil in Pharmacology from the University of Oxford under Prof. Rebecca Sitsapesan, where her doctoral research examined how single-point mutations in the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) cause life-threatening arrhythmias. This British Heart Foundation-funded PhD established her expertise in single-channel electrophysiology for analyzing ligand sensitivity, gating kinetics, and phosphorylation status of RyR2 channels.
Dr. Wilson's research integrates cardiac physiology and molecular biology to dissect ryanodine receptor dysfunction in disease. Her primary focus includes H+ ion dynamics in heart failure, mutation-induced channelopathies in arrhythmias, and statin interactions with RyR channels causing myopathy. She employs advanced techniques including single-channel electrophysiology, confocal microscopy, and biochemical assays to investigate calcium signaling and protein alterations at cellular and molecular levels.
Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent investigation of ryanodine receptor pathobiology across cardiac and skeletal muscle systems. Her work characterizes mutation-specific effects on RyR function in arrhythmia syndromes and elucidates the complex dual actions of statins on RyR channels—activating skeletal isoforms while dysregulating cardiac channels—which provides mechanistic insights into statin-induced muscle side effects and potential therapeutic strategies.
Supported by British Heart Foundation grants, Dr. Wilson operates within the Swietach Group at DPAG, which specializes in quantitative analysis of cardiac ion homeostasis. The group employs cutting-edge imaging and biochemical approaches to study pathophysiological mechanisms in heart failure, with her research contributing to understanding how intracellular pH dysregulation exacerbates cardiac remodeling and contractile dysfunction.
