Summary
Peter Wright is an Honorary Research Fellow at the National Heart and Lung Institute.
He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry before returning to academic research.
His PhD concerned in vivo and in vitro investigations of the effects of large doses of epinephrine (adrenaline) on cellular receptor signalling (β1AR/ β2AR) and heart function. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the pathological state underlying the syndrome of stress or tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy. This disorder is relatively rare but is increasingly reported in the medical literature and has a distinctive set of symptoms. The dysfunction underlying this disorder may contribute in minor ways to other forms of heart disease.
In the course of this work he became interested in the differences in the ultra-structural states of cardiomyocytes from different regions of the heart. He found that these differences have implications for physiology, pharmacology and in disease mechanisms.
His recent work has focused on the role of mechanical load in 'patterning' the structural state of cells from different regions of the heart. This work also assessed the load-dependent effects on the control of signalling molecules within cellular microdomains.
Publications
Journals
Biressi S, Ma Q, Fukuda N, et al., 2022, Editorial: Methods and applications in striated muscle physiology, Frontiers in Physiology, Vol:13
Tranter MH, Redfors B, Wright PT, et al., 2022, Hyperthermia as a trigger for Takotsubo syndrome in a rat model, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Vol:9, Pages:1-9
Couch LS, Fiedler J, Chick G, et al., 2022, Circulating microRNAs predispose to takotsubo syndrome following high-dose adrenaline exposure, Cardiovascular Research, Vol:118, ISSN:0008-6363, Pages:1758-1770
Wright P, Gorelik J, 2022, Junctophillin-2: Coupling Hopes for Cardiac Gene Therapy to Gene Transcription, Circulation Research, Vol:130, ISSN:0009-7330, Pages:1318-1320
Wright PT, Gorelik J, Harding SE, 2021, Electrophysiological remodeling: cardiac t-tubules and β-adrenoceptors, Cells, Vol:10, ISSN:2073-4409