Dr Halina Dobrzynski

Research interests

Halina focuses on the functional properties and cellular and molecular make-up of the cardiac conduction system of the heart in sickness and in health using a variety of techniques including electrophysiology, histology, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and molecular biology.

The current focus of her research is the molecular make-up of the human sinus and atrioventricular nodes, as well as functional and structual changes in the cardiac conduction system in health, aging and disease in small laboratory animals. Her research is sponsored mainly by the British Heart Foundation.

The current research group:

2 PhD students and 7 Postdoctoral Fellows.

Past supervision/co-supervision of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows:

2005-2006       S. Yoo (PhD); present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, USA

2005-2009       H. Musa (post-doc); present position: Scientist, Biotechnology Industry, UK 

2005-2009       J. Tellez (post-doc); present position: NHS Clinical Scientist, UK 

2005-2009       J. Yanni (PhD); present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, UK

2005-2009       E. Abd Allah (PhD); present position: Lecturer, Egypt

2005-2009       I. Greener (post-doc); present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, USA

2005-2009       N. Chandler (PhD); present position: NHS Clinical Scientist, UK 

2006-2009       G. Morris (PhD); present position: Cardiologist, NHS, UK

2005-2010       S. Inada (post-doc); present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Japan

2008-2011       O. Fedorenko (post-doc); present position: Senior Lecturer, Russia

2009-2012       O. Monfredi (PhD); present position: Cardiologist, NHS, UK

2009-2012       G. Hao (PhD); present position: Postdoctoral Fellow, UK 

2011-2014       I. Temple (PhD); present position: Cardiologist, NHS, UK

2008-2014       A. Atkinson (MPhil); present position: Research Assistant, UK 

2011-2014       Z. Bornas (PhD); present postion: Cardiologist, NHS, UK

2012-2016       Y. Saeed (PhD); present position: Cardiologist, Canada

2012-2016       M. Choudhury; present position: Cardiologist, NHS, UK          

Invited talks:

2016 American Heart Association, New Orleans, USA

2015 Symposium on Advances in Cardiac Structure and Function, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark

2015 39th meeting of the ESC Working Group on Cardiac Cellular Electrophysiology, Milan, Italy

2014 European Society of Cardiology Congress, Barcelona, Spain

2012 University of Bordeaux, France

2012 University of Minnesota, USA

2011 Leeds University, UK

2011 Newcastle University, UK

2011 Heart Rhythm meeting, San Francisco, USA

2011 Cardiology Meets Physics and Mathematics meeting, Koscielisko, Poland

2010 International Symposium on Arrhythmia and Heart Failure, University of Nagoya, Japan

2009 Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA

2009 Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, USA

2008 Faculty of Medicine, INSERM Nantes, France

2008 International Society for Heart Research, Athens, Greece

2008 Washington University, St Louis, USA

2007 University of Warsaw, Poland

2007 International Meeting of Physiological Society, Manchester, UK

2007 Symposium in honour of Professor R.H. Anderson; University College London, UK

2006 University of Würzburg, Germany

Grants (current and past):

£2,500,000; BHF 4 year PhD studentship programme, University of Manchester (2017-2020 intakes). Dr. EJ Cartwright (PI).

£109,219; PI on the BHF project grant for Miss Maria Petkova (PhD student): Investigation into the expression and function of key microRNAs in the human cardiac conduction system; 2015-2018.

£200,000; Co-applicant on Cariplo Foundation: ACROSS – cardiac pacemaker ageing: cellular and molecular basis; Professor Dario DiFrancesco (PI); 2015-2018.

£214,177; Co-applicant on the BHF project grant: Why do bradyarrhythmias occur at night? An intrinsic circadian clock in the cardiac conduction system? Professor M.R. Boyett (PI); 2015-2018.

£221,669; Co-applicant on the BHF project grant: Molecular mechanisms underlying exercise training-induced arrhythmias. Professor M.R. Boyett (PI); 2014-2017.

£150,000; Co-applicant on the BHF project grant; Professor G.A. Ng (PI); 2014-2016.

£291,443; Co-applicant on the BHF project grant: Sinoatrial node dysfunction in ageing and failing hearts - the role of the membrane and Ca²⁺ clocks;Professor M. R. Boyett (PI); 2013-2016. 

£1,148,308; Co-applicant on the BHF programme grant: Mapping cardiac conduction system disease; Professor M.R. Boyett (PI), 2011-2016.

£200,000; Co-applicant the BHF project grant: Biopacemakers: new targets and new mechanisms; Dr. Gilliam M. Morris (PI); 2012-2015.

£128,690; Co-applicant on the BHF project grant: The molecular basis of arrhythmogenesis in tetralogy of Fallot. Clinical Research Training Fellowship for Dr. Haiko Schneider (PI); 2012-2015.

£1440; PI on Biomedical Vacation Scholarships for Mr Vinci Naruka; the Wellcome Trust: Anatomical mapping of the Purkinje fibers in health and heart failure;summer 2014.

£15,000; PI on a project grant; Novartis, Switzerland: Expression of novel receptors in the human sinoatrial node;2013-2014.

£50,000; Collaborator; the Polish Ministry of Education project: To treat better elderly subjects with cardiovascular deseases: is nebivolol more effective than metoprolol? Dr. Michal Maczewski (PI), University of Warsaw, Poland; 2011-2014.

£229,499; PI on the BHF project grant: Charaterisation of the structural and functional properties of subsidiary atrial pacemakers in goat model of sinus node dysfunction; 2010-2013.

£3,000; Co-PI with Professor Dario DiFrancesco on a symposium sponsored by the IUPS: Molecular basis of cardiac conduction system disease; Birmingham, UK; July 2013.

£1440; PI on Biomedical Vacation Scholarships for Miss Sandy Chu; the Wellcome Trust: Anatomical mapping of the cardiac conduction system within tissue sections through whole human heart in order to produce 3D model; summer 2012.

£154,571; Co-applicant on a PoP project; UMIP: A virtual whole human heart model for drug cardiotoxicity testing; Professor M. R. Boyett (PI). 2011-2012.

£260,372. Co-applicant on the BHF project grant: Effect of athletic training on the cardiac conduction system: ups and downs. Professor M. R. Boyett (PI); 2010-2013.

£200,000; Co-applicant on a project grant from Astra Zeneca, UK: Computer modelling of canine ventricular action potentials;Professors M. R. Boyett (PI); 2009-2012.

£173,319; PI on the BHF project grant: Functional and molecular investigation into the arrhythmogenic properties of the atrioventricular ring tissue;2008-2011.

$1,000000; Consultant on a project from the National Institute of Health, USA: Structure and function of the pacemaker and conduction system of the heart; Professor I. Efimov (PI) at Washington University, St Louis, USA; 2008-2012.      

£1,078,734; Co-applicant on the BHF programme grant: Molecular mapping of the pacemaker and conduction system of the heart in health and disease;Professor M.R. Boyett (PI); 2006-2011.

$149,970; PI on a project grant from Medtronic, Inc., USA: Molecular mapping and 3D reconstruction of the human atrioventricular node; 2006-2009

$111,321; PI on a project grant Medtronic, Inc., USA: Molecular mapping and 3D reconstruction of the human sinus node; 2005-2008.

£86,626; PI on a research equipment grant; Faculty of Medical & Human Sciences, University of Manchester; 2006-2007.

£14,523; PI on a research grant; Faculty of Medical & Human Sciences, University of Manchester; 2005-2007.

£22,000; PI on a two-day international Focused Physiological Society meeting: The centenary of the discovery of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes; University of Manchester. Sponsored by the Physiological Society, the BHF, Servier and Medtronic; September 2007.

Methodological knowledge

Halina's expertise is in macro- and micro- anatomy, immuno-histo/cyto-chemistry, molecular biology in relation to the conduction system of the heart has been sought by many laboratories throughout the world.