Dec. 2, 2025
Physiology Core Lab fuels cardiovascular research
Dr. Darrell Belke, PhD, remembers the moment inspiration struck. He was part way through a run, puzzling over how the body temperature of hibernating gophers impacted the movement of calcium in the animals鈥 heart cells.
It was a question he鈥檇 been chasing for months while completing his master鈥檚 degree in Zoology at the University of Alberta. And then, clarity.
鈥淚 had a true eureka moment,鈥 he says with a smile. 鈥淓verything just clicked.鈥
That spark of insight into how the heart of gophers can adapt to extreme conditions increased our understanding of heart disease, a condition in which the heart doesn鈥檛 function normally.
It was the start of a new chapter in the northern Alberta farm kid鈥檚 journey.
Belke鈥檚 curiosity inspired him to continue his scientific career.
He completed his PhD in pharmacology at the University of Alberta and a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology and physiology at the 荔枝视频. The latter work resulted in the development of the first working mouse heart model used in the study of energy metabolism, a model now used in laboratories around the world.
Belke鈥檚 education continued with a second postdoctoral fellowship in molecular biology鈥攖his time at the University of California at San Diego. Afterwards, he took on the role of project scientist at the institution, where he remained for a decade.
He returned to U荔枝视频 in 2009 to take over the lab of his former mentor, David Severson, PhD, in the Heritage Research building. The lab focused on the regulation of cardiac metabolism and the effects of diabetes on heart health.
Over the years, Belke gained a broad range of technical expertise鈥攆rom building and modifying equipment, to molecular imaging and microsurgery on mice鈥攖hanks to the mentorship and collaboration he鈥檚 experienced throughout his research career.
Today, those skills are used at the Libin Institute, where he leads the Cardiovascular Physiology Core Lab, helping fellow scientists advance their own discoveries.
The lab provides vital infrastructure for cardiovascular research, offering services such as small animal surgery, high-resolution echocardiography, pressure-volume loop analysis and the development of custom animal models that mimic heart disease.
鈥淥ur job is to help move research forward,鈥 says Belke. 鈥淲e generate the measurable data scientists need using non-invasive imaging and precise surgical models that simulate heart attacks, high blood pressure, aneurysms and more.鈥
Whether it鈥檚 coronary artery ligation to assess heart attack damage or Doppler echocardiography to analyze mitral valve function, the lab gives researchers the ability to visualize and quantify subtle cardiac changes鈥攅ven in structures as small as a mouse coronary artery.
The core lab鈥檚 impact is far reaching. Belke not only enables other scientists to test hypotheses, validate therapies and publish data, but he also teaches the next generation of scientists the skills they need to pursue careers.
Belke鈥檚 gopher chasing days may be long behind him, but as he speaks about his work in the Cardiovascular Physiology Core Lab, his passion for research and collaboration is obvious.
鈥淚 love what I do,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 get to contribute to a wide variety of research projects across the Libin Cardiovascular Institute. For me, it鈥檚 about the thrill of discovery.鈥
Impact at a glance
1. The Cardiovascular Physiology Core facility has contributed to approximately 30 publications, including high impact journals like Circulation, Circulation Research, PNAS, Immunity and Science Translational Medicine.
2. Belke has provided more than 25 letters to support grant applications, including at such funding agencies as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institute of Health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
3. The lab has contributed to the education of dozens of graduate students and lab staff through mentorship and training on skills like open chest surgeries, isolating individual cardiac myocytes and capturing and interpreting pressure-volume loops.
4. The lab鈥檚 work has advanced science beyond cardiovascular health. Belke works with researchers from numerous health research institutes at the 荔枝视频, including in the Faculty of Veterinary Research.
Learn how you can support the Libin Cardiovascular Institute's work.