Multicellular organ systems routinely utilize biorhythmic electrochemical oscillators to coordinate and order physiological processes. Using the heart as a model system, our group investigates how organ-level biorhythmic behaviors emerge during development. Research is focused on: i) the developmental mechanisms that specify autonomous rhythmic signal generation, ii) the processes that allow for effective downstream transmission of these signals, and iii) the morphogenetic patterning events that align the various sub-components of the heart leading to proper spatiotemporal coordination of the cardiac cycle. The ultimate goals of these projects are to understand the cellular and biophysical interactions that orchestrate the differentiation and integration of the various cell types required for sustained rhythmic contraction of the heart.
