Sherwin Ng

Program: Molecular Cell Biology

Current advisor: Stacey L. Rentschler, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Cornell University, 2017

Enrollment year: 2019

Research summary
Effects of ionizing radiation on cardiac electrophysiology

I am currently working in the lab of Dr. Stacey Rentschler in the Department of Cardiology, where I am investigating the electrophysiological effects of ionizing radiation in the setting of cardiac arrhythmias. Ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation are arrhythmias characterized by areas of heterogenous conduction and re-entry circuits. We recently determined that the anti-arrhythmic effects of ionizing radiation may be in part due to persistently increased cardiac conduction proteins and enhanced ventricular conduction to prevent electrical re-entry. However, the molecular and transcriptional effects of radiation on murine and human hearts are less well characterized. I am currently employing single nuclei RNA-sequencing to determine the effects of radiation on the electrical substrate as well as investigating the role of the sympathetic nervous system on conduction velocity and cellular repolarization.

Graduate publications
Brumback BD, Dmytrenko O, Robinson AN, Bailey AL, Ma P, Liu J, Hicks SC, Ng S, Li G, Zhang DM, Lipovsky CE, Lin CY, Diamond MS, Lavine K, Rentschler SL. 2023 Human Cardiac Pericytes are Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection. JACC Basic Transl Sci, 8(2):109-120. PMCID: PMC9473702