Dr Charles Cox

Senior Research Fellow
Medicine & Health
School of Biomedical Sciences

Dr Charles Cox completed his PhD in 2013, following on from a Master’s degree (Honours 1st class) in Pharmacy; both at Cardiff University, UK. As a qualified pharmacist Dr Cox practiced in both hospital and community settings (2008-2013) prior to joining the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

After post-doctoral training in Professor Boris Martinac, opens in a new window’s laboratory, Dr Cox was appointed as a Group Leader at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (2019-2022) and has been affiliated w...

Phone
02 9295 8744
E-mail
c.cox@victorchang.edu.au

Key Research Areas

  • Molecular mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis
  • Molecular basis of ion channel mechanosensitivity
  • Cellular cardiac mechanobiology and novel cellular mechanosensing pathways

Research Overview

There are few environments more mechanical than that of the human heart. It will beat 3.5 billion times during the average person’s lifespan, pumping litres of blood around the body every few minutes. The Cox Lab focusses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of how cells within the heart sense and respond to mechanical forces. These mechanical cues drive physiological processes throughout life from the earliest stages of cardiac development but also contribute to pathological remodelling within the heart in a host of cardiac diseases, opens in a new window.

Importantly, mechanical cues contribute to cardiac fibrosis a process central to almost all cardiovascular diseases. Led by Dr Charles Cox, opens in a new window, the lab are seeking to understand the mechanical principles and mechanisms that contribute to cardiac fibrosis. These studies will contribute to the development of novel ‘mechano-medicines’, therapeutics that take advantage of the specific mechanical properties of organs or target their mechanosensitivity.

The primary molecules of interest within the Cox Lab are mechanosensitive ion channels. With ongoing projects aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie ion channel mediated mechanotransduction. Ultimately, we seek to exploit our molecular and cellular knowledge to generate ‘mechano-medicines’ that can help individuals and families impacted by cardiovascular disease.