Associate Professor
Peter Molenaar
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Biography
Research theme: HealthResearch discipline: Pharmacy
Research areas:
Investigation of the molecular properties and physiological significance of different 'states' of the (1-adrenoceptor: (1-Adrenoceptors are proteins that exist in human heart which mediate the cardiostimulant effects of noradrenaline. Some (-blockers, such as (-)-CGP 12177 not only block the receptor but also stimulate it. To accommodate this finding we have proposed that noradrenaline and cardiostimulant (-blockers bind differently to the (1-adrenoceptor. We are investigating: a. the specific features of the (1-adrenoceptor that are critical for activation of the receptor by (-blockers; b. whether activation of the receptor by (-blockers such as (-)-CGP 12177 causes progression of heart failure in an animal model of heart failure and; c. the chemical features of (-blockers that cause the receptor to be activated and not blocked. These studies are likely to lead to the improved design of (-blockers for clinical use. The genetic basis of (-blocker responsiveness in human heart failure: The clinical effect of (-blockers in human heart failure is quite variable. Some patients show marked improvement in heart function whilst others show marginal or no improvement. In patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy treated with carvedilol we found that the Arg389Gly-(1-adrenoceptor polymorphism predicts improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction. Investigation of phosphodiesterase enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of cyclic AMP accumulated by activation of (1- and (2-adrenoceptors in human ventricle: In human heart phosphodisterase enzymes metabolize the cyclic AMP that is increased in response to activation of (-adrenoceptors. These enzymes can be considered to have a protective role against the harmful effects of excessive (-adrenoceptor activation. We are currently investigating the phosphodiesterases that are responsible for metabolism of cyclic AMP raised by activation of (1- and (2-adrenoceptors in human ventricle from patients with end-stage heart failure.
Areas of expertise:
- Human heart research
- G-protein coupled receptors
- Beta-adrenoceptors
- Polymorphisms
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Health,
School of Biomedical Sciences
Keywords
Beta-adrenoceptors, G-protein coupled receptors, Human Heart Research, in vitro human heart research
Research field
Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Other Biological Sciences
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (The University of Melbourne)
Professional memberships and associations
- Australian Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (ASCEPT)
- British Pharmacological Society
Teaching
Teaching discipline: Pharmacy
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Peter, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).