Dr. Glenn Fishman

Biography

Glenn Fishman, MD, is a William Goldring Professor of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He serves as the Director of the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medicine. His research primarily focuses on cardiovascular biology, including the formation and function of the heart's specialized cardiac conduction system (CCS). This complex network comprises pacemaking cells that establish normal rhythmicity in the heart, along with rapidly conducting His-Purkinje cells that facilitate synchronized excitation of the working myocardium. His studies utilize genetically engineered mouse models to visualize components of the conduction system and gene profiling techniques on microdissected CCS tissues to identify molecular signatures of specialized cells. Dr. Fishman is particularly interested in mechanisms of arrhythmia, exploring the dysregulation of gap junction channels that are associated with abnormalities in impulse propagation. He has developed complementary gene discovery methods by using murine embryonic stem cells, allowing pluripotent cells to differentiate into specific components of the CCS under defined cultured conditions. His work encompasses a range of molecular and biochemical strategies, utilizing genetically engineered models with site-specific mutations in connexin genes that encode gap junction channel proteins.

Research Interests