BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
15
MAY
2014
Student Spotlight
CHRISTOPHER Y. KO
Universityof California, LosAngeles
JamesN.Weiss Lab
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Q:
What initiallyattractedyou
tobiophysics?
As a student of science, I have come to realize that
bridgingmultiple perspectives anddisciplines of
study facilitates a deeper understanding of human
biology. Accordingly, themultidisciplinarynature
of biophysics iswhat initially attractedme to the
field, and itwas pivotal inmy pursuit of under-
standing the biology of the heart.
Q:
What specific areas areyou studying?
My doctoral studies under thementorshipof
James
N.Weiss
have focusedonunderstandingmecha-
nisms of subcellular calcium release in cardiac
myocytes anddetermininghow they contribute to
the pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias.
Q:
What is your current researchproject?
Currently, I am investigatinghowproperties of
critical systems could explainhow calciumwaves
that emerge dyssynchronously in cardiacmyocytes
come to emerge synchronously in cardiac tissue
and generate arrhythmia triggers.
Q:
What doyouhope todoafter
graduation?
After graduation, I aim topursue amedical educa-
tion and a physician-scientist career tohelpbridge
the understanding and insights gained through
scientific researchwith the practice ofmedicine.
I hope to contribute to the development of new
therapies that could improve the overall effec-
tiveness of clinical care.Working closelywith
physician-scientists such asDr.
Thao P.Nguyen
has been influential inmy decision topursue this
career path.
Q:
Whydidyou join theBiophysical
Society?
I joined theBiophysical Society to take advantage
of thewealthof opportunities and resources it
provides through its publications, AnnualMeet-
ing, and themembers themselves. TheBiophysical
Society is anoutstandingplatform for biophysicists
to share anddisseminate knowledge in the field.
Q:
Whenyou’renot studyingbiophys-
ics,what doyou like todo inyour spare
time?
Outside of the lab, I enjoy activities involving
physical fitness and exercise. Surfing is a recent
hobby I have pickedup thanks toDr.Weiss’ own
passion in the sport.
JamesWeiss, Christopher’s PI says:
Chris came tomy lab fromwithundergraduate
andmasters degrees in biomedical engineering, and
a strong interest in integrating experimental and
theoretical biology. He joined our research team
applying systems approaches to understanding cardiac
arrhythmias, andworked closelywith the theoretical
team to develop a theory explaining how periodicCa
waves triggering the heart beat arise from randomCa
sparks in cardiacmyocytes. Chris performed all of the
experimental work underpinning the validation of a
theory demonstrating that this transition from sparks
towaves is an example of criticality, a ubiquitous
mechanism innature that has beenused to explain
phenomena ranging from earthquakes to evolution to
epidemics. Thanks toChris's outstanding contribu-
tions to this research effort, we can add the heart's
beating to this list.
