Welcome to The Schulz Laboratory
Dr. Richard Schulz, Ph.D.
University of Alberta
Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Pharmacology
AHFMR Scientist
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
University of Alberta
Our Research Interests
The Schulz lab has expertise in cardiovascular pharmacology and pathophysiology, particularly in relation to oxidative stress. Many cardiovascular diseases involve an increase in oxidative stress to the heart and blood vessels, causing damage to these tissues and contributing to acute heart failure.
Our lab investigates the role of some specific molecules in contributing to this oxidative stress damage. Specifically, we are interested in the roles of nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite in cardiac and vascular injury relating to the activation of the immune system as well as in myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury.
We have discovered that some of these molecules may mediate their damaging effects through activation of a protein enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) within the cardiac myocyte. Although MMP-2 was previously thought to act only on extracellular targets, our lab has discovered that MMP-2 also targets (and subsequently damages) intracellular proteins.
Our short-term objective is to understand the contribution of each of these molecules in the development of acute heart failure. Our long-term objective is to develop and test specific pharmacological treatments to protect the heart from oxidative stress injury (e.g. matrix metalloproteinase or nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, superoxide or peroxynitrite scavengers.
