On April 22^nd HBUT once again had the pleasure of welcoming Doctor Marek Michalak to the university. This time the visit was arranged by Professor Tang Jingfeng from the International Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics Innovation Research Center (111 Center). The following day Professor Tang and Doctor Michalak co-hosted an event attended by all of the faculty members of the School of Bioengineering and Food. At the meeting they discussed a report entitled “ER stress coping strategies in muscle”.

In his presentation, Dr. Marek Michalak introduced the results of ER stress research at his laboratory over the last five years, focusing on the function and regulation of ER1α, a key regulator of ER stress signaling pathway, in skeletal muscle and myocardium.  Dr. Marek Michalak said that in cardiomyocytes, IRE1α responds to cellular stress and its function is inhibited when it binds to Casq2. However, after removing the IRE1α gene in mice, the loss of IRE1α function causes severe damage to cardio functionality. The results showed that the electrical activity of the heart is significantly weakened and disordered after IRE1α is removed, which in turn can produce dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and myocardium. Pathological features such as impaired intracellular calcium homeostasis, myocardial fibrosis, and weakened cellular communication between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts.

Dr. Marek Michalak roused the interest and enthusiasm of teachers and students in the reporting process with his use of vivid language and his rigorous experiment design. The professors and graduate students of the Institute of Raw Food, Liu Binlei, Xie Weihong, Wang Jun, and the academicians of Dr. Marek Michalak had a warm academic exchange. The interactive atmosphere was lively and the teachers and students responded well.

After the meeting, Academician Dr. Marek Michalak visited the base laboratory and expressed appreciation for the development of the center over the past two years. He also expressed his desire to further strengthen the joint training and research cooperation of graduate students to the PI teams of the “111” base.