THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH QUARTERLY BULLETIN July 1996 Volume 9 No. 3 Contents Editorial 3 BSCR Events Diary i 3 Secretary's Column 4 BSCR Workshop Report The Experimental and Therapeutic Gene Transfer and Antisense Strategies for Cardiovascular Disease 5 Meeting Report First Joint National Vascular Meeting: Diabetic Angiopathy 6 Job Advert Postdoctoral Electrophysiologist 7 Forthcoming Meetings 7' Nominations for BSCR Committee 8 Software Review: Cellular Mechanisms in Cardiac Physiology Functional Anatomy of the Heart 10 BSCR Quarterly Bulletin Deadlines 11 British Heart Foundation Awards January/June 1996 12 BSCR Autumn Meeting Poster Mediators in Cardiovascular Disease 20 Registered Charity Number: 1011141 Supported by an educational grant from: CARDIOVASCULAR THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH Quarterly Bulletin Editors Committee Dr T. Jeff Allen Dr. Gary F Baxter Department of Pharmacology The Hatter Institute of Cardiovascular Studies Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine Department of Academic & Clinical Cardiology Rowland Hill Street University College Hospital London NW3 2PF Grafton Way Tel. 0171-794 0500 ext. 5751 London WCIE 6DB Fax. 0171-794 6854 Tel: 0171 380 9888 e-mail: [email protected] Fax: 0171 388 5095 e-mail: [email protected] Dr Kathryn O. Ryder Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Dr. Michael J Curtis John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU Pharmacology Group Tel. 01865-220 428/136 Biomedical Siences Division Fax. 01865-221 977 Kings College London e-mail: [email protected] Manresa Road London SW3 6LX Chairman Dr Peter Cummins Dr. Suzanna Hardman Dept. of Physiology Hatter Institute of Cardiovascular Studies Molecular Cardiology Unit University College London Medical School The Medical School, University of Birmingham Grafton Way Birmingham B15 2TJ London WCl 6DB Tel: 0121-414 6896 Tel. 0171-380 9888/288 5292 Fax: 0121-414 6924 Fax. 0171-388 5095/288 5010 e-mail: [email protected] Dr John Lee Secretary Dept. of Pathology Dr Metin Avkiran University of Sheffield Medical School Cardiovascular Research Box 596 The Rayne Institute Beech Hill Road St. Thomas' Hospital Sheffield SIO 2UL Tel: 0114 276 6222 London SEl 7EH Fax: 0114 278 0059 Tel. 0171-928 9292 ext. 3375 Fax. 0171-928 0658 Dr Ken MacLeod Treasurer Department of Cardiac Medicine National Heart and Lung Institute Dr Cherry Wainwright Dovehouse Street Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology London SW3 6IY University of Strathclyde Tel: 0171-352 8121 Ext. 3309 204 George Street Fax: 0171-823 3392 Glasgow Gl IXW e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 0141-552 440 Ext. 2405 Fax: 0141-552-2562 e-mail:[email protected] UK Prof Jeremy Pearson Vascular Biology Research Centre Deputy Chairman King's College London Campden Hill Road Prof Gianni D. Angelini London W8 7AH Department of Cardiac Surgery Tel: 0171 333 4083 Bristol Royal Infirmary Fax: 0171 937 7783 Bristol BS2 8HW Tel. 0117-9283 145 Fax. 0117-9283 871 2 Editorial We thought the April issue of the Bulletin was going to be our last - but here we are again! Whilst we thoroughly enjoy our posts and remain honoured to be in this position for disseminating information to the cardiovascular world, all good times should come to an end and we are happy to announce that replacement by suitably motivated candidates is scheduled for the next Bulletin. Jeff will be retiring as of now (assuming there are no disasters between now and the next issue), and Kathy will continue as overlapping editor for as long as required but probably the next two issues. We hope you will be introduced to the new Editors at the forthcoming BSCR autumn meeting at the end of August. We wish them the best of luck in taking over the Bulletin and pushing it on towards the next millermium! But back to this issue... Thanks once again to all those who have contributed this time. We have another software review, which should be of interest to those involved in recruitment of new blood to our field and reports fi-om the recent BSCR events. We still require Laboratory Profiles and review articles for the Bulletin. These have "dried up" over the last few bulletins mostly because we have badgered most of the people we know already!! Please volunteer for these contributions: anyone with a Lab. of more than three is eligible to write for the former and anyone who has just written a thesis seems ideal to advertise themselves and their subject by submitting a review article. We do not expect the usual elevated status of review articles authors for this Bulletin. We are more interested in articles fi-om "younger" authors for this slot. We are also interested in receiving comments on controversial issues arising in this field, even half a page is enough to start a discussion as we have found in the past!! Kathryn Ryder & Jeff Allen BSCR Events Diary: Meetings: Workshops: Endogenous Mediators and Protection of Ventricular Fibrillation Contact: Dr. A the Heart Autumn 1996. Contact: Dr. C. Drake-Holland Tel. 0181-846-7282 Fax. Wainwright, Tel: 0141-552 440 Ext. 2405 Fax: 0181-846 7338 0141-552-2562 AffiUated Groups, Joint European Cardiac Hypertrophy Spring 1997. Contact: Sessions, etc.: Dr. A-M. Seymour, Tel. 01482-465-517 Fax. 01482-465-458or Dr. G. Hart Tel 01865-220 257 Fax. 01865-688 44 Myocardial Injury: present knowledge and future directions Autumn 1997. Contact: Dr. M-S Suleiman Tel: 0117 9283145 Fax: 0117 9299737 3 Secretary's Column In the last issue of the Bulletin, I announced BSCR this Spring was the Plenary Session on the impending retirement, at the end of 1996, of "Applications of Today's Molecular Biology to 3 members of the BSCR Executive Committee Tomorrow's Clinical Practice", organised by (Drs Peter Cummins, Suzanna Hardman and Professor Peter Weissberg (under the auspices Ken MacLeod) and called for nominations to fill of the Society) at the Annual Meeting of the these posts. There has been an enthusiastic British Cardiac Society in Glasgow. The session response to this call, particularly from clinically was a great success and, based on my personal qualified members of the Society. The nominees observations, was hugely appreciated by the are Dr Adrian Brady (Glasgow), Dr Gavin audience, which not surprisingly was composed Brooks (London), Dr Michael Marber (London) largely of clinical cardiologists. The Society's and Dr Kathryn Ryder (Oxford). Since the thanks go to Peter Weissberg for organising not number of nominees exceeds the number of only this Plenary Session but also the subsequent, vacancies by one, a postal ballot is now required. extremely well-attended, BSCR Workshop in To facilitate this, ballot forms have been Cambridge, on a similar topic. circulated to the membership with this issue of Looking ahead to future meetings, the the Bulletin. The Bulletin also contains the brief programme for the Autumn 1996 Meeting has biographical details and statements of reasons been finalised and this will take place shortly in for wanting to serve on the Committee, provided Glasgow, on the topic of "Mediators in by the nominees (p8). I would urge all members Cardiovascular Disease". A report on this of the Society to make their wishes count, by meeting will be published in the next issue of the letting me have their completed ballot forms by Bulletin. Plans are also well underway for the le"^ August 1996 Spring 1997 Meeting at the University of Hull At its last meeting at St Thomas' Hospital on "Molecular Basis of Cardiac Hypertrophy" ^7 on 12* April 1996, the Committee unanimously (organised by Drs Anne-Marie Seymour and approved the selection of Professor Gianni George Hart) and the Autumn 1997 Meeting at Angelini as the next Chairman of the Society, to the University ofBristol on "Myocardial Injury" take over from Dr Peter Cummins from January (organised by Dr Saadeh Suleiman and 1997. In recent years, Gianni Angelini has made colleagues). Further details of these meetings an enormous contributionto the Society, initially will be circulated to members, as they become as an active member of the Committee and more available. recently as Deputy Chairman. He must also Finally, I would like to reiterate my plea take much of the credit for obtaining the to all active members of the Society to consider Educational Grant from Bayer, in support of submitting proposals for the Spring and Autumn BSCR activities. I am sure the Society will Meetings in 1998 (and beyond), as well as for continue to thrive under his leadership. Workshops over the next 12-18 months. I Since the publication of the last Bulletin, would remind members that generous budgets the joint meeting of the BSCR with the British (up to £10,000 for a two-day meeting and up to Microcirculation Society and the Royal Society £ 1,000 for a one-day workshop) can be provided of Medicine Forum on Angiology has taken by the Society for such events, thanks to the place at the University of Exeter, on the topic of support of Bayer. All proposals should be sent "Diabetic Angiopathy". A report on this to me, for forwarding to the BSCR Committee successful meeting is included in the current for consideration and approval. issue of the Bulletin. Another success for the Metin Avkiran 4 Workshop Report Experimental and Therapeutic Gene Transfer and Antisense Strategies for Cardiovascular Disease held at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge Organiser: Professor P.L. Weissberg Friday, lO*" May, 1996 The intention of the Workshop was to for manipulating gene expression in myocardial bring together UK researchers with an interest cells and Howard Prentice and his group from in gene transfer and antisense technologies for the University of Glasgow working on the cardiovascular disease.