Our research is focused on understanding how neuronal connectivity is established during development. Our work investigates the function of extrinsic guidance cues and their receptors on axonal guidance, dendritic morphology, and synapse formation and function. For several years we...
Our laboratory is interested in the area of sensory transduction: specifically visual and olfactory transductions, which are the processes by which the senses of vision and olfaction are initiated. These two processes have interesting similarities and differences. Vision can...
The overarching goal of our laboratory is to characterize a novel endogenous protective signaling network of mammalian cells and tissues to provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying disease and to highlight novel therapeutic avenues. Cells and tissues respond...
Our laboratory studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the perception of pain under healthy conditions and in the setting of pathology. Towards this goal, we utilize a wide spectrum of approaches including behavioral analysis, in vivo and in...
Our lab seeks to understand mechanisms employed by cells and tissues to maintain metabolic homeostasis. We are broadly interested in how secreted hormones control various aspects of sugar and fat metabolism. Our current efforts centered on addressing how fat...
The focus of our research is to identify mechanisms of protein synthesis-dependent neuronal plasticity. The approach uses differential cloning techniques to identify mRNAs that are rapidly induced in neurons by synaptic activity. Classical studies established that rapid, de novo...
A fundamental property of living cells is their extraordinary ability to sense and respond to a changing environment. In higher eukaryotes, malfunctioning of signaling networks has many devastating consequences such as cancer, diabetes or autoimmunity. Such consequences arise from...
Our work bridges from biochemical to preclinical translational studies to harness the power of glycobiology for therapeutic benefits. All cells are endowed with a diverse coat of glycans, their “glycocalyx,” which represents the face of the cell to the...
Our laboratory is interested in the molecular mechanisms and physiological roles of mitochondrial fusion. Mitochondria are highly dynamic and control their morphology by a balance of fusion and fission. The regulation of membrane fusion and fission generates a striking...
Neurotransmitters, Second Messengers and Drug Action in the Nervous System Our lab studies diverse signaling systems including those of neurotransmitters and second messengers as well as the actions of drugs upon these processes. We have been interested in atypical...