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May 20, 2025
Changes in the aging heart may lessen the risk of irregular heartbeats
Virginia Tech researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have discovered that microscopic structural changes in the aging heart may reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats.
Medically known as arrhythmias, irregular heartbeats become more common with age and can lead to health problems.
But a new study in JACC Clinical Electrophysiology, a journal of the American College of Cardiology, revealed that a tiny gap between heart cells called the perinexus naturally narrows with age — an adaptation that may help stabilize heart rhythm.
The discovery challenges the idea that all age-related changes in the heart are harmful.
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Pathways and Regulation of Cardiac Nav1.5 Channel Trafficking in Adult Myocytes , homeMay 30, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Gea-Ny Tseng, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research
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The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class researchers. The institute’s Virginia Tech scientists focus on diseases that are the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disorders, heart disease, and cancer. Since its founding in 2010, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also investing in brand-new laboratories on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.
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Research in Progress Seminar , homeMay 27, 2025, 4 p.m. | Mary Elizabeth Baugh, Ph.D. and Mikel Cawley | Spring Research in Progress Seminar Series
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Pathways and Regulation of Cardiac Nav1.5 Channel Trafficking in Adult Myocytes , homeMay 30, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Gea-Ny Tseng, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research
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Targeting Acquired Dependencies During Tumor Evolution , homeJune 6, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Kris Wood, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center – D.C.
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