The basic function of the heart is to work as a pump, circulating blood throughout the body.  For each successful heartbeat millions of individual heart cells must contract successfully and their activity must be coordinated with each other.  A biological electrical system based on ion channels exists to regulate contraction and coordination.  In diseased heart, damage from blocked arteries leads to improper cellular expression of these ion channels which contributes to both dangerous heart rhythms and congestive heart failure.  Because arrhythmias and heart failure are the primary causes of death and disability in the United States, we are very interested in the mechanisms of ion channel development and regulation in normal and damaged heart cells.