Scholars@Duke
Ching Zhu

Ching Zhu

Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Cardiology
ching.zhu@duke.edu
213 Research Dr, Box 102156, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Adrenergic Hypersensitivity Drives Ventricular Arrhythmias Following Loss of Plexin-Mediated Cardiac Innervation.

Journal Article JACC Clin Electrophysiol · September 29, 2025 BACKGROUND: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are a leading cause of death and arise from a combination of cardiac muscle injury and dysfunction of the intramyocardial sympathetic nerves that control cardiac electrophysiology. The adrenergic mechanisms by whic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Identifies Dynamic Cardiac Transition Program from ADCs Induced by Leukemia Inhibitory Factor.

Journal Article Stem Cells · October 21, 2022 Adipose-derived cells (ADCs) from white adipose tissue are promising stem cell candidates because of their large regenerative reserves and the potential for cardiac regeneration. However, given the heterogeneity of ADC and its unsolved mechanisms of cardia ... Full text Link to item Cite

High-resolution structure-function mapping of intact hearts reveals altered sympathetic control of infarct border zones.

Journal Article JCI Insight · February 8, 2022 Remodeling of injured sympathetic nerves on the heart after myocardial infarction (MI) contributes to adverse outcomes such as sudden arrhythmic death, yet the underlying structural mechanisms are poorly understood. We sought to examine microstructural cha ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neuromodulation for Ventricular Tachycardia and Atrial Fibrillation: A Clinical Scenario-Based Review.

Journal Article JACC Clin Electrophysiol · August 2019 Autonomic dysregulation in cardiovascular disease plays a major role in the pathogenesis of arrhythmias. Cardiac neural control relies on complex feedback loops consisting of efferent and afferent limbs, which carry sympathetic and parasympathetic signals ... Full text Link to item Cite

Anesthetizing the Fibrillating Heart.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · May 21, 2019 See Article Lee et al. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neuromodulation Approaches for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Recent Advances.

Journal Article Curr Cardiol Rep · March 18, 2019 PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to describe the latest advances in autonomic neuromodulation approaches to treating cardiac arrhythmias, with a focus on ventricular arrhythmias. RECENT FINDINGS: The increasing understanding of neuronal remodeling in ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

The unstoppable connexin43 carboxyl-terminus: new roles in gap junction organization and wound healing.

Journal Article Ann N Y Acad Sci · October 2006 Intercellular connectivity mediated by gap junctions (GJs) composed of connexin43 (Cx43) is critical to the function of excitable tissues such as the heart and brain. Disruptions to Cx43 GJ organization are thought to be a factor in cardiac arrhythmias and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Zonula occludens-1 alters connexin43 gap junction size and organization by influencing channel accretion.

Journal Article Mol Biol Cell · December 2005 Regulation of gap junction (GJ) organization is critical for proper function of excitable tissues such as heart and brain, yet mechanisms that govern the dynamic patterning of GJs remain poorly defined. Here, we show that zonula occludens (ZO)-1 localizes ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quantitative analysis of ZO-1 colocalization with Cx43 gap junction plaques in cultures of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes.

Journal Article Microsc Microanal · June 2005 The gap junction (GJ) is an aggregate of intercellular channels that facilitates cytoplasmic interchange of ions, second messengers, and other molecules of less than 1000 Da between cells. In excitable organs such as heart and brain, GJs configure extended ... Full text Link to item Cite