Ion channel proteins control the passage of ions across the cell membrane and generate the bioelectricity that is essential for life.  Much of the future of neuroscience and cardiovascular research lies in understanding the molecular details of how these protein machines function, how they are regulated, and how they are integrated into large, macromolecular complexes within the cell.  To address these issues, our lab seeks to uncover the basic mechanisms by which ion channels act.  This ultimately requires a high-resolution structural description of the channel proteins, their regulatory factors, and the conformational changes that accompany channel action as well as the development of means to manipulate channel action in vivo.

[1] Structural understanding of ion channel action and regulation
[2] Molecular evolution of ion channel modulators for channels
[3] Structural understanding of membrane proteins that power the cell through their actions in mitochondria