Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Developmental Biology; Molecular and Cellular Biology; Myelin Diseases; Neurobiology; Neuroscience
We study the development and function of glial cells—specifically oligodendrocytes and astrocytes—in the central nervous system. Our research focuses on how ion channels, particularly voltage-gated calcium channels, regulate the specification, migration, and differentiation of these cells. We have demonstrated that calcium channels are essential for normal myelination, acting at multiple stages of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) development. Currently, we are investigating whether these channels also contribute to remyelination, with the goal of developing therapeutic strategies for myelin repair in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
In parallel, we explore astrocyte biology, with a particular emphasis on astrocytic calcium signaling in glial-neuronal interactions. Using conditional knockout mice lacking calcium channels in astrocytes, we are analyzing how astrocytic calcium dynamics influence brain function through behavioral, electrophysiological, imaging, and immunohistochemical approaches.
Recently, our lab has expanded its focus to include the role of iron in glial cell physiology. Iron is a critical cofactor in processes such as oxidative metabolism and myelination, and its dysregulation has been linked to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Our recent publications highlight how iron accumulation in glial cells—particularly astrocytes and microglia—can impair cellular function and exacerbate injury responses. By integrating iron metabolism into our broader research framework, we aim to uncover how iron homeostasis in glial cells influences brain health and central nervous system integrity.
Our work is supported by long-standing grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.