My research consists of two concurrent projects.  The first is concerned with developing techniques to incorporate unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into recombinant ion channels expressed in mammalian cells.  UAAs allow researchers to probe intermolecular interactions with a sensitivity unachievable by conventional mutagenesis.  I am applying these techniques to incorporate UAAs at key positions in the pore of the hERG K⁺ channel when expressed in mammalian cells.  The goal is to improve drug safety by elucidating the subtle yet critically important nature of the binding interactions that determine how and why many non-cardiovascular clinical drugs bind to hERG and cause acquired LQT syndrome.  For this project I collaborate extensively with Neurion Pharmaceuticals, based in Pasadena CA.  The second project focuses on understanding the density, intracellular processing, PDZ interactions, trafficking, and possible dimerization of the GABA transporter mGAT1, by expressing fusions of mGAT1 and fluorescent proteins (XFP, where G = green; C, cyan; Y, yellow) in vitro, and later in vivo.

Antibody-based Protein Detection, Cell / Tissue Culture, Centrifugation, Cloning, DNA Isolation & Purification, Electrophoresis, Electrophysiology, Mass Spectroscopy, Nucleic Acid Hybridization, PCR / RT-PCR, Plasmid Isolation & Purification, Protein Synthesis, Protein-Protein Interaction Analysis, RNA Isolation & Purification, Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Spectroscopy, Fluorescence, Transfection

Centrifuge, Confocal Microscope, Data Acquisition Equipment, Electrophoresis Equipment, Electrophysiology, Patch Clamp, Electrophysiology, Two Electrode Voltage Clamp, Electroporator, Fluorescence Spectrophotometers, Incubators, Mass Spectrometry, MALDI-TOF, Microplate Reader, Multi-Channel Pipettors, Optical Microscope, Orbital Shakers, PCR Kits, PCR Thermocycler, Pipettors, Real Time PCR Thermocycler, UV/VIS Spectrophotometers, Vacuum Equipment, Vortexing Equipment, Water Purification Systems

Basic Research, Biochemistry, Biology, Biophysics, Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physiology

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http://us.expasy.org/prosite/
http://www.ionchannels.org/
http://www.neb.com/nebecomm/products/category1.asp?#2
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