The Akar Laboratory’s long-term research goals are to: 1) elucidate mechanistic links between altered metabolic, mechanical, electrical, and structural properties that promote disease progression and regression, and 2) identify novel targets for treating electrical dysfunction. We specialize in the study of arrhythmia mechanisms at multiple levels of integration. A major focus of our work is the use of novel gene therapy approaches targeting metabolic pathways or calcium cycling proteins for combating arrhythmias caused by ischemia/reperfusion injury and heart failure.