Research in the Stacey Rentschler’s lab is focused on defining the mechanisms that underlie the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of cardiac electrophysiology in both murine and human model systems. Our group has demonstrated that reactivation of developmental signaling pathways, including Notch and Wnt, can electrically remodel cardiomyocytes, or “reprogram” them, potentially predisposing to lethal arrhythmias.

Stacey Rentschler’s Lab research utilizes optical mapping and microelectrode recording to visualize electrophysiological properties of the heart in combination with a wide range of molecular biology techniques to study mechanisms underlying electrical phenotypes in health and disease. Ongoing projects include:

• Studying human adult heart electrophysiology using a unique, organotypic cardiac slice model from explanted human donor hearts
• Utilization of a wide range of genetically-engineered mouse models to assess necessity and sufficiency of developmental signaling pathways and their downstream targets implicated in EP regulation
• Genome-wide gene expression and epigenetic studies on mouse and human cardiac tissue to decipher complex regulatory mechanisms
• Studies of left and right differences in EP and chamber-specific differential gene regulation
• iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation focused on translating findings in mouse heart development to human development
• Collaboration with WashU Radiation Oncology to explore mechanisms of a novel radiation ablation treatment for patients suffering from ventricular arrythmias