DVM, PhD, Professor Equine Cardiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Rikke Buhl is the group leader of the Equine Cardiac Group (www.ecg.ku.dk). The goal of the research group is to study cardiac diseases in horses with a translational link between people, horses and other animal models. The exorbitant cardiac reserve of the horse makes the animal one of the superior athletic mammals when it comes to cardiac function and the majority of our research conducted is centered around the cardiac changes in the athletes – here exemplified by the racehorses.
Atrial fibrillation in humans is associated with increased risk of dying and the prevalence is increasing in endurance athletes. Spontaneous lone atrial fibrillation is rarely observed in most animal species except in horses where one to two percent of the racehorses develops atrial fibrillation. Over the last 8 years our group have focused on translational research within atrial fibrillation and have been funded both by the Danish Research Council and Marie Curie Horizon 2020 ITN and IF network. Our research within atrial fibrillation strives toward establishing a new large animal model for studying atrial fibrillation. Lately the effect of long-term exercise on cardiac function has got increased attention where arrhythmia pathogenesis and molecular changes are important areas. The group consist at present of one professor, one associate professor, two PhD students and two post docs.
Publications and other activities: http://forskning.ku.dk/find-en-forsker/?pure=da%2Fpersons%2Frikke-buhl(64737e5f-71f8-46eb-9856-2409018e5e85).html
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