Research Interests: My current focus is on molecular mechanisms of ion channels and transporters that play essential roles in human physiology.
His Lab's research interests:
Our laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of ion channels and transporters that play essential roles in human physiology and disease. How do channels and transporters recognize their specific substrate ions? How do they respond to various stimuli including chemical ligand, temperature, membrane voltage, and mechanical force? How do they interact with the lipid membrane where they reside? To answer these fundamental questions, we use multidisciplinary approaches including X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, biophysics, and electrophysiology. Dysfunction of these membrane proteins could lead to a variety of diseases such as asthma, hypertension, cancer, heart failure, diabetes, chronic pain, and many more. Our long-term goal is to provide detailed mechanistic understanding of ion channels and transporters, which will offer novel strategies for drug development and better treatment of diseases.