George Billman

Omega-3 fatty acids Diagram showing the interaction between omega-3 fatty acids and the cardiac cell membrane (top) with the possible effect on ventricular arrhythmia (bottom). In 1994, Billman used his model of SCD to test the ability of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to prevent fatal arrhythmias. In the test, eight dogs otherwise susceptible to ventricular fibrillation were given a direct infusion of fish oil. Seven of the eight did not have VF during the test. Five of five animals retested in a follow-up control test (i.e, without treatment) had VF. The observed effect most likely resulted from a combination of direct chemical interaction on the cardiac cell membrane and a reduced heart rate caused by the omega-3s. Follow-up studies in 1997 and 1999 confirmed the results (P<0.005) and found both eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (found in fish oil), as well as α-Linolenic acid (found in vegetable oil) to have antiarrhythmic effects.

The same effect has been shown to occur in humans by other researchers. Billman's more recent work has focused on discovering the biochemical mechanisms of the antiarrhythmic effects of omega-3 fatty acids and on whether the same protection can be gained through dietary omega-3 fatty acids.

Response to research Billman's experiments have been protested by animal rights activists. In 2007, a local group known as Protect Our Earth's Treasures, spurred by Ohio State approving the use of up to 120 additional dogs, protested Billman's research. Specifically, they were against the surgical blocking of arteries in Billman's model of sudden cardiac death and the subsequent euthanizing of surviving animals for future study. Two federal investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing, but PETA continued to campaign against the experiments.

Billman received a new investigator award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 1983−1986. and has determined that his own ancestor, Hans Theobald Billmann, who emigrated to the United States in 1752, was not in turn descended from ancestors previously identified by other amateur researchers.

Publications In 2011, Billman published a review article on heart rate variability, illustrated here by an electrocardiogram recording of canine heartbeat. Billman has authored or co-authored more than 150 scientific papers, which have been cited more than 5000 times in peer-reviewed research. According to Web of Science, he has an h-index of 38, with 11 papers receiving more than 100 citations. Billman was the editor of the 2010 book Novel Therapeutic Targets for Antiarrhythmic Drugs published by John Wiley and Sons, and contributed three chapters to it. According to the publisher, the book describes the state of cardiac arrhythmia treatment and future directions the research may take. In a review of the book, Peter R. Kowey praised Billman for "[encouraging] blue sky thinking" in his contributions.

Books

Selected journal articles