Zhenwei Su
BS: University of Science and Technology of China
PhD: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ion channels convert physiological stimuli into electrical signals. Malfunctions of diverse channels result in various disease and drugs targeting several channels have improved human health. Over decades, tremendous biophysical efforts have been devoted in understanding the selectivity, gating, and structure of channel proteins. Yet, up to now, there are still a few important channels whose biological functions are less understood. For instance, the recently cloned Piezo proteins are reported to form mechanosensitive channels responding to mechanical stimuli in cells (Figure), but their physiological involvements in human mechanosensations remain largely unknown [1].
My project is to probe the biological functions of important channels, such as Piezo proteins, by means of identifying and utilizing novel pharmacological activators or inhibitors. Such modulators can complement the knock-out animal studies, may reveal uncharacterized conformational states, and could offer chemical basis for novel drug discoveries.
For this project, biochemical, electrophysiological, and structural methods will be employed to investigate the selectivity, potency, as well as the working mechanism of the identified modulators. Ultimately, promising candidates will be tested on animal tissue preparations or live animal models and are hoped to shed light on clinical drug developments.
[1] Coste, B. et al. Science, 2010. 330(6000): p. 55-60.
