The Harvey lab focuses on the development, function and regeneration of the mammalian heart, and the different layers of information – developmental, cellular, molecular, genetic and epigenetic – that guide these processes. In humans, the heart begins to beat after the first few weeks of embryonic life when it is still a simple muscular tube. As heart structure develops through the formation of valves and specialised pumping and electrical systems, it meets the increasing demands of the growing embryo.

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death and disability. My lab is seeking to understand how gene defects cause heart abnormalities in babies, and how this information can be used to help families. The lab also studies cardiac stem cells and stromal cells in the adult heart and how they might be targeted therapeutically for heart regeneration.