Dr. Christopher Overgaard is investigating how free radicals affect healthy and damaged hearts. He has been infusing vitamin C (a free radical scavenger) into the left main coronary artery of patients who have suffered damage to their heart muscle. In some patient groups, vitamin C treatment enhances the body’s response to dobutamine – a medication that strengthens heart contractions. Dr. Overgaard’s research suggests that mopping up free oxygen radicals with Vitamin C impacts on heart muscle function.

Dr. Overgaard is a cardiology fellow in the division of cardiology at the University of Toronto. His research will be done under the supervision of Dr. Gary Newton in the department of medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Overgaard believes that this particular research environment will provide him with a unique opportunity to study human cardiac physiology through the use of invasive measurement techniques not available elsewhere in Canada.