How carbon monoxide (CO) affects human heart cells, disrupting electrical activity and normal heart function
In the final instalment of the 2026 Lunchtime Lecture Series, the CO Research Trust (CORT) were pleased to welcome Derek Steele, Professor of Cellular Physiology at the University of Leeds. Professor Steele, who led this CORT-funded study and will be retiring later this year, joined Adrian McConnell to discuss research using lab-grown human heart cells to better understand how CO affects the heart, and shared key findings as the project draws to a close.
Derek Steele was appointed Professor of Cell Physiology at the University of Leeds in 2011, having previously completed his BSc, PhD, and a Wellcome Trust Fellowship in cardiovascular science at the University of Glasgow. His research focuses on the cellular mechanisms that control how heart and skeletal muscle function, and how these processes are altered in disease. Currently, he is leading the multidisciplinary research into how carbon monoxide can disrupt heart function, as the focus of this study.
CO is widely recognised as a poisonous gas—but its effects on the heart are less often discussed. The human heartbeat relies on finely tuned electrical signals, controlled by tiny channels that move sodium, calcium, and potassium in and out of heart cells. These signals are what keep the heart beating in a steady, coordinated way.
The session explored:
- How these electrical signals normally work
- What happens when carbon monoxide disrupts them
- Why these changes can interfere with the heart’s ability to beat effectively
Drawing on the latest evidence, Derek demonstrated how CO can alter key cellular processes — affecting how each heartbeat starts and resets — and ultimately disturbing the heart’s normal rhythm and function.
You can view the slides from the presentation here.
The lecture is available to watch in full below: