The Sheikh Lab focuses on better understanding the pathways driving biomechanical stress responses in cardiac muscle as they are major triggers for human genetic-based cardiac diseases.

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- Major efforts have centralized on mutations affecting the complexes at the cardiac muscle cell-cell junction that drive the devastating “athlete’s” heart muscle disease, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), that results in sudden death.

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- The lab exploits genetically engineered mouse models, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human patients, miniaturized physiological assays, yeast-two-hybrid screens, aligned cardiomyocyte mouse models, co-culture devices, specialized cardiac extracellular matrix coatings, 3-D printing, and other in vitro model systems.

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- The lab collaborates with prominent clinicians in the genetic cardiomyopathy as well as investigators in the engineering and chemistry departments.

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In this manner, the lab is developing a comprehensive understanding of the complex role for the cell-cell junction network and its requirement for optimal cardiac function both in vitro and in vivo.