Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology
Neurosciences

Research summary
Characterizing and dissecting the molecular mechanisms of opioid receptor signaling

Key words
GPCRs, Analgesics, Side effects, opioid receptors, opioids, opioid alternatives

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
The Chen lab utilizes multi-omic and high-throughput screening approaches to investigate the regulation and function of circRNA and uncover the molecular mechanisms of circRNA-mediated disease.

Key words
Circular RNA, Oxidative Stress, RNA Translation, Cancer Vaccine

Program affiliation
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
I am interested in the structure and function of neuronal ligand-gated ion channels, and the mechanism of channel modulation by endogenous lipids or exogenous drugs such as general anesthetics.

Key words

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Computational and Systems Biology

Research summary
Understanding neuromodulator actions, sleep regulation and sleep, and mechanisms of learning through the spatial and temporal features of biochemical signaling dynamics

Key words
neuromodulator, sleep, dynamics, sensors, actuators, signaling, G protein coupled receptors, imaging, microscopy, learning, plasticity, engineering

Program affiliation
Molecular Genetics and Genomics
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Cell Biology

Research summary
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of primary nephrotic syndrome (NS)

Key words

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
The interface between systems and control engineering, neuroscience and neural medicine

Key words
Control of neural dynamics; Biophysical modeling of multiscale brain networks;

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Immunology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding the mechanisms that regulate platelet and neutrophil activation and their homotypic and heterotypic interactions under thromboinflammatory conditions.

Key words
Platelet, Neutrophil, Thrombosis, Inflammation, Stroke, Sickle Cell Disease, Intravital microscopy

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Our current research focuses on delineating the cellular, molecular, and metabolic processes involved in the development of fibrotic disorders such as Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and how these metabolic adaptations may in turn be targeted therapeutically for IPF.

Key words
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), metabolic networks, targetable mechanisms driving fibroblast function and fibrosis

Program affiliation
Neurosciences
Developmental Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology
Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Research summary
We study how different types of neurons encoding somatosensory modalities are assembled into functional circuits in both humans and model organisms.

Key words
pain, circuits, development, optogenetics, imaging, electrophysiology, human

Program affiliation
Molecular Cell Biology
Biochemistry Biophysics and Structural Biology

Research summary
Understanding extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated signaling during homeostatic and pathologic metabolic regulation

Key words