Barbara C. Vanderhyden

Blog | December 3, 2025 | Share on: By: Barbara Vanderhyden, PhD, Professor and Senior Scientist, University of Ottawa Cancer is responsible for one in four deaths1 in Canada. The high incidence means that everyone is likely to know someone who is, or will be, affected by this disease. The good news is that the overall chance of developing cancer is trending downward, thanks to research that has identified factors, such as lifestyle, that contribute to cancer risk.

Abstract The cardiac conduction system (CCS) is a network of specialized cardiomyocytes that coordinates electrical impulse generation and propagation for synchronized heart contractions. Although the components of the CCS, including the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, His bundle, bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers, were anatomically discovered more than 100 years ago, their molecular constituents and regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

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