Departmental Faculty

Sandra Bajjalieh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

The molecular basis of neurotransmission, the role of Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2 in modulating neurotransmitter release, and the role of lipid modifying enzymes in neuronal functioning. Learn More >>

Joseph A. Beavo, Ph.D.
Professor

Mechanism of action of cyclic nucleotides; study of problems involving the roles of several isozymes of cyclic nucleotide-phosphodiesterases in the regulation of of cyclic nucleotide action and metabolism; use of enzyme fractionation, monoclonal antibody, selective inhibitor, and molecular genetic techniques. Learn More >>

William A. Catterall, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair

Molecular basis of electrical excitability; regulation of excitability of nerve and muscle cells; mechanism of action of drugs and toxins that affect electrical excitability; molecular biology of ion channels. Learn More >>

Charles Chavkin, Ph.D.
Allan and Phyllis Treuer Professor of Pain Research and Professor of Pharmacology

Neurophysiology of opioid peptides; electrophysiological and neurochemical studies of opioid receptor function, opiod receptor diversity, and regulation of receptor function. Learn More >>

Richard Gardner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Studies of ubiquitin-mediated regulation in the nucleus including: nuclear protein quality control and its role in protecting against protein aggregation diseases; regulation of chromatin structure in telomere silencing, gene activation, and DNA repair; and global ubiquitin proteomics to identify novel nuclear ubiquitination pathways. Learn More >>

Chris Hague, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Pharmacological and molecular characterization of adrenergic receptors; mechanisms involved adrenergic receptor signal transduction, localization and desensitization; identification of novel protein binding partners; role of adrenergic receptors in cardiovascular system and CNS. Learn More >>

Lawrence M. Halpern, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emeritus

Dr. Halpern no longer has an active research program and is not accepting graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. Mechanisms of action of opiate and nonopiate analgesic drugs, with emphasis on neurophysiological and behavioral assessment of pain and analgesia; actions of antiepileptic drugs, with an emphasis on neurophysiological mechanisms.

Akira Horita, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus

Dr. Horita no longer has an active research program and is not accepting graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. Drugs acting on the CNS; effects of peptides and drugs of abuse on central cholinergic mechanims; behavior and its neurochemical correlates.

Edwin G. Krebs, M.D.
Professor Emeritus

Dr. Krebs no longer has an active research program and is not accepting graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. Regulation of cellular functions by protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation; mechanism of action of growth factor receptor protein tyrosine kinases; protein kinase structure-function relationships. Learn More >>

G. Stanley McKnight, Ph.D.
Professor

Signal transduction pathways; use of molecular genetic techniques to study the role of cAMP-dependent protein kinases in the hormonal regulation of gene expression, differentiation, and ion channel function; expression of wild-type and mutant kinase genes in cultured cells and transgenic mice, targeted gene disruption in mice. Learn More >>

Randall T. Moon, Ph.D.
Professor and Investigator
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Director for the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine

Roles and mechanisms of signaling of wnt proto-oncogenes (related to int-1, wingless) in embryonic development of Xenopus and zebrafish; patterning of mesoderm and neural ectoderm. Learn More >>

Neil M. Nathanson, Ph.D.
Professor

Cell and molecular biology of neural signal transduction proteins; regulation, function, and neuroplasticity of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, G proteins, and receptors for neuronal differentiation factors. Learn More >>

Paul Phillips, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
(joint with Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences)

Phasic dopamine release in motivated behavior, decision making and mental illness. Learn More >>

John T. Slattery, Ph.D.
Professor and Vice Dean
School of Medicine
Office of Research and Graduate Education
 

Nephi Stella, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
(joint with Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences)

Immune cells of the CNS and their interaction with degenerating neurons: therapeutic a potential for plant-derived compounds such as marijuana and echinacea. Learn More >>

Daniel R. Storm, Ph.D.
Professor

Molecular basis of neuroplasticity; cAMP and calcium signal transduction mechanisms in the central nervous system; regulation of adenylyl cyclases; calmodulin- and calcium-regulated systems; regulation of neuron growth. Learn More >>

Bruce L. Tempel, Ph.D.
Professor
(joint with Otolaryngology, Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center)

Molecular and genetic basis of membrane excitability; studies of normal and mutant potassium channel genes in transformed cells and in mice (normal, mutant, and transgenic) using electrophysiological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. Learn More >>

Frank F. Vincenzi, Ph.D.
Professor

Education of health care and research professionals with the goal bridging reductionist and holistic points of view. The role of the phenomenon of 'mirroring' in the brain in this and related endeavors. Learn More >>

Edith Wang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Regulation of gene expression with an emphasis on cell proliferation and muscle differentiation; mechanism of action of TAF1 subunit of transcription factor IID; function of MBNL3 in RNA processing and human disease. Learn More >>

Ning Zheng, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Structural biology of protein ubiquitination and degradation; molecular and structural mechanisms by which ubiquitin E3 ligase machineries control cell cycle progression, signal transduction, transcription, and DNA repair; roles of ubiquitin ligases in cancer and viral infection; chemical biology of ubiquitin ligase regulation. Learn More >>

Paul Amieux, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor

Microarray analysis of gene expression changes in mice with mutations in the PKA system. Learn More >>

Kimberly Burton, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor

The role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) signaling in the biology of male reproduction. Learn More >>

Thomas Hinds, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor Emeritus

Sergei Rybalkin, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) in smooth muscle regulation. Mechanisms and regulatory properties of cGMP-PDEs in NO/cGMP signaling pathway. Learn More >>

Todd Scheuer, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor

  Learn More >>

Ruth Westenbroek, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor

Ion Channel Localization in Excitable Cells.  Learn More >>

Mei Xu, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor

  Learn More >>

Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor

Structure and function of ion channels; De novo and homology modeling of ion channels three-dimensional structure using bioinformatics program Rosetta; Protein-protein docking. Learn More >>

Frank Yu, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor

  Learn More >>

Karol Bomsztyk, M.D.
Professor
Medicine

The broad objective of our research is to explore the molecular links that exist between signal transduction pathways and events that compose inducible gene expression. Learn More >>

David G. Cook, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor
Medicine/Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease. Learn More >>

Mark Hamblin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Serotonin receptors and synaptic function. Learn More >>

Wim Hol, Ph.D.
Professor and Head
Biomolecular Structure Program
Biological Structure
Professor
Biochemistry

Three-dimensional structure of proteins as starting point for design of new drugs and vaccines; protein crystallography; molecular modeling and computer graphics; multienzyme complexes; heat-labile enterotoxin and choleratoxin; sleeping sickness parasite enzymes; leprosy immunodominant proteins. Learn More >>

John Neumaier, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Psychiatry

Regulation of serotonin receptor expression in brain; modulation of behavior by specific serotonin receptors in discrete brain circuits; manipulation of neuron activity using viral mediated gene transfer; effects of stress on serotonin system function; serotonin receptors and addiction. Learn More >>

Gerard Schellenberg, Ph.D.
Research Professor
Medicine/Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Molecular and genetic basis of aging. Learn More >>

Debra A. Schwinn, M.D.
Professor & Chair
Anesthesiology

The Schwinn laboratory combines molecular pharmacology approaches with translational human functional genomics to study mechanisms underlying regulation of adrenergic receptors (ARs) in health and disease, primarily focusing on regulation of alpha1ARs. The theme unifying current projects is that reproducible perioperative stress represents a unique paradigm for understanding the effects of acute and chronic stress. Learn More >>

Eileen L. Watson, Ph.D.
Professor
Oral Biology
School of Dentistry

Mechanisms of salivary gland secretion, with emphasis on G-protein and intracellular messenger regulation; bacterial cAMP regulation and physiological function. Learn More >>

Zhengui Xia, Ph.D.
Professor
Toxicology/Environmental Health

Mechanisms for regulation of apoptosis in animal cells, particularly in relation to neurodegeneration and aging; Neural stem cell regulation, differentiation and survival during during development and in adult; Stem cell biology and neurodegeneration; kinase signal transduction mechanisms in the central nervous system. Learn More >>