Biophysical Netsletter - May 2014

15

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2014

MAY

Student Spotlight

CHRISTOPHER Y. KO Universityof California, LosAngeles JamesN.Weiss Lab

Q: What initiallyattractedyou tobiophysics?

Q: Whydidyou join theBiophysical Society?

As a student of science, I have come to realize that bridgingmultiple perspectives anddisciplines of study facilitates a deeper understanding of human biology. Accordingly, themultidisciplinarynature of biophysics iswhat initially attractedme to the field, and itwas pivotal inmy pursuit of under- standing the biology of the heart. Q: What specific areas areyou studying? My doctoral studies under thementorshipof James N.Weiss have focusedonunderstandingmecha- nisms of subcellular calcium release in cardiac myocytes anddetermininghow they contribute to the pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias. Q: What is your current researchproject? Currently, I am investigatinghowproperties of critical systems could explainhow calciumwaves that emerge dyssynchronously in cardiacmyocytes come to emerge synchronously in cardiac tissue and generate arrhythmia triggers. Q: What doyouhope todoafter graduation? After graduation, I aim topursue amedical educa- tion and a physician-scientist career tohelpbridge the understanding and insights gained through scientific researchwith the practice ofmedicine. I hope to contribute to the development of new therapies that could improve the overall effec- tiveness of clinical care.Working closelywith physician-scientists such asDr. Thao P.Nguyen has been influential inmy decision topursue this career path.

I joined theBiophysical Society to take advantage of thewealthof opportunities and resources it provides through its publications, AnnualMeet- ing, and themembers themselves. TheBiophysical Society is anoutstandingplatform for biophysicists to share anddisseminate knowledge in the field. Q: Whenyou’renot studyingbiophys- ics,what doyou like todo inyour spare time? Outside of the lab, I enjoy activities involving physical fitness and exercise. Surfing is a recent hobby I have pickedup thanks toDr.Weiss’ own passion in the sport. Chris came tomy lab fromwithundergraduate andmasters degrees in biomedical engineering, and a strong interest in integrating experimental and theoretical biology. He joined our research team applying systems approaches to understanding cardiac arrhythmias, andworked closelywith the theoretical team to develop a theory explaining how periodicCa waves triggering the heart beat arise from randomCa sparks in cardiacmyocytes. Chris performed all of the experimental work underpinning the validation of a theory demonstrating that this transition from sparks towaves is an example of criticality, a ubiquitous mechanism innature that has beenused to explain phenomena ranging from earthquakes to evolution to epidemics. Thanks toChris's outstanding contribu- tions to this research effort, we can add the heart's beating to this list. JamesWeiss, Christopher’s PI says:

Suggesta Studentor Postdoc to Spotlight Do youhavea spotlight-worthy

student or postdoc in your lab? Send his/her name to society@biophysics.org.

Made with