-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                       BIOINFORMATICS COLLOQUIUM
                    School of Computational Sciences
                        George Mason University
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
              Simulations and Bioelectricity in Cardiac Cells

                          Dr. Semahat S. Demir
                      National Science Foundation
                                  &
                       University of Memphis


                       Tuesday, March 28, 2006
                               4:30 pm
               Verizon Auditorium, Prince William Campus

ABSTRACT
   Dr. Demir will start her talk by introducing mathematics and 
engineering used to develop computational models of cellular 
bioelectric activity. She will also give an overview of her research 
interests in cardiac pacemaker cells and ventricular cells. She will 
present her computational modeling projects in rat ventricular 
myocytes. Recently, Dr. Demir’s research group has developed and 
published a biophysically detailed model of the rat ventricular 
myocytes and demonstrated a precise understanding of the role of 
various ionic currents, exchangers and pumps, and calcium changes in 
influencing the cardiac repolarization process and the action potential 
prolongation under different pathological conditions. Their modeling 
efforts in rat ventricle were also extended into mathematical model 
development of mouse ventricular action potential, and their simulation 
results conclude that the differences in three potassium currents (It, 
Iss, IKSlow) can be responsible for the action potential differences in 
rat and mouse ventricles.
   Towards the end of her presentation, Dr, Demir will give a 
demonstration of iCell, the interactive cell modeling resource that she 
has developed as a simulation-based teaching and learning tool for 
electrophysiology by integrating research and education. Her 
interactive cell modeling web site can be accessed freely over the 
internet at http://ssd1.bme.memphis.edu/icell/. This JAVA-based 
platform-independent software, iCell, provides an interactive and user-
friendly teaching and learning resource, and also a collaboration 
environment for electrophysiology to be shared and disseminated over 
the Internet.


BIOSKETCH
    Dr Semahat Demir is the Program Director for the Biomedical 
Engineering & Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities at the National 
Science Foundation.  She also has a faculty appointment with the Joint 
Graduate Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Memphis 
and the Tennessee Health Science Center.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Refreshments are served at 4:00 pm. Find the schedule and directions at
http://www.binf.gmu.edu/colloq.html