Anthony L. Auerbach PhD

Anthony Auerbach

Anthony L. Auerbach
PhD

Professor

Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences


Specialty/Research Focus

Biophysical Modeling; Chemistry - Inorganic and Physical Chemistry; Drug Discovery; Electrophysiology; Ion channel kinetics and structure; Membrane Biophysics; Membrane Transport (Ion Transport); Molecular and Cellular Biology; Neuroscience; Protein Engineering; Protein Function and Structure

Contact Information
315 Cary Hall
South Campus
Buffalo, New York 14214
Phone: (716) 829-3573
auerbach@buffalo.edu



Professional Summary:

Synapses are the primary points of communication between cells of the nervous system. Our laboratory is interested in synaptic receptors and ion channels. We study the molecular events that constitute agonist binding, channel activation and receptor desensitization. Our research bridges physiology pharmacology, biochemistry and structural biology, and our experimental approaches include electrophysiology, computational chemistry (MD simulations) and molecular biology. We seek to to understand the molecular operation of receptors and other allosteric membrane proteins in the context of their physiological roles.
CONTACT INFORMATION: auerbach.anthony@gmail.com (716) 510-0793

Education and Training:

  • PhD, Neuroscience, University of Oregon (1978)
  • BS, Biochemistry, University of California at Santa Barbara (1972)

Employment:

  • Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (1998-present)
  • Associate Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (1992–1998)
  • Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (1987–1992)
  • Research Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (1983–1987)
  • Post Doctoral Fellow, Biophysical Sciences, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (1981–1983)
  • Post Doctoral Fellow, Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology San Juan, PR Institute of Neurobiology (1978–1981)

Awards and Honors:

  • Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities (2012)
  • Javits Award (2006-2014) (2006)
  • SUNY Chancellor's Award for Research (2003)
  • Chair, NIH Study Section BSCT (2003)
  • SUNY Research Achievement Award (2002)
  • Javits Award (1999-2006) (1999)

Research Expertise:

  • biophysics: receptors and ion channels

Grants and Sponsored Research:

  • June 2009–May 2014
    Engineering a Transmitter Binding Site
    NIH
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • April 1986–March 2014
    Multiple Activity Patterns of Acetylcholine Receptors
    NIH
    Role: Principal Investigator
  • September 2017
    Desensitization of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors
    NIH
    Role: Principal Investigator
    $1,500,000

Journal Articles:

See all (107 more)

Professional Memberships:

  • Society for Neuroscience
  • Biophysical Society

Presentations:

  • "Lectures on agonist efficiency" YouTube presentation (2022)
  • "Agonist Efficiency" Departmental Seminar; Bioelectricity; University of Texas (2021)
  • "Agonist Efficiency" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; University Washington (2021)
  • "Agonist Efficiency and a Zipper Mechanism for Receptor Conformational Change" Departmental Seminar; Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Seminar Series; University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign (2021)
  • "Agonist Efficiency: Zipping up the AChR" Symposium: Structural Dynamics of Ion Channels and Receptors (2021)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Temple University (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Ion Channel Biophysics Conference; Telluride (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" LGIC Conference (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Seminar; GlaxoSmithKline (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Univ. Pennsylvania (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Department Seminar; Columbia University (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; University of Texas (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Univ College of London (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Univ. Wisconsin (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; University at Buffalo (2019)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Department of Physics; University at Buffalo (2018)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Univ. Pittsburgh (2018)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Yale Univ. (2017)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental seminar; Chemistry; Duquene Univ. (2015)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Biophysical Society Membrane Biophysics Symposium (2015)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors Retreat; University at Albany (2015)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" iGluR annual meeting; Univ Miami (2014)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental University; Dept. Physiology; Case Western Reserve Univ. (2014)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Symposium on Allosteric Interactions and Biological Regulation; Pasteur Institute (2013)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Membrane Protein Structural Dynamics Symposium; Chicago, IL (2012)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Chemistry; University at Buffalo (2012)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology and Biophysics; Cornell Weill (2012)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Einstein Medical College (2012)
  • "Ion Channels Molecular Machines" Telluride Workshops (2011)
  • "Nicotinic Receptors" Wellcome Trust Meeting; Pharmacology; Univ. College London (2011)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Univ. Miami (2010)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pasteur Institute (2010)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics; Washington University (2010)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" University at Buffalo Neuroscience (2010)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Single Molecules of Physiology IUPS Symposium; Kyoto, Japan (2009)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Society for Neuroscience Symposium; Ligand Gated Ion Channels (2009)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Kyung Hee University (2009)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" J. Physiology Symposium; Cys-loop ligand gated ion channels (2009)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Seminar; Hauptmann-Woodward Institute (2009)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Molecular and Computational Biology; Univ. Southern California (2008)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Chair; Biophysical Society Symposium; Allosteric Proteins (2008)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" XIII International Symposium on Cholinergic Mechanisms (2008)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" American Chemical Society National Meeting; Symposium Speaker (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Distinguished Speaker Series; University California at Davis (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Chemical Engineering; University at Buffalo (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Molecular Genetics (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Keystone Conference; Ion Channel Biophysics; invited speaker (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physics; University of Maine (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Yale University (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physics; University at Buffalo (2007)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Univ California San Diego (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacy; Univ California San Francisco (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neurobiology; Univ California Berkley (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Biophysics; Cornell University (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Emory University (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Chemistry; Brandeis University (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Gordon Research Conference; Invited Speaker (2006)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" University of Puerto Rico del Castillo Symposium (2005)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" International Conference on Basic and Systemic Mechanisms of Anesthesia (2005)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Cornell University (2005)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Univ Wisconsin (2005)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Boston University (2004)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Univ Miami (2004)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Chair; FASEB Membrane Biophysics (2004)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Molecular and Cellular Physiology; Stanford University (2003)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Univ Pennsylvania (2003)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Seminar; Neuroscience; NIH (2003)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Univ Alabama (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Univ Virginia (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Woods Hole (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Cell Molecular Physiology; University Chicago (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" IUPAC Symposium on Bioorganic Reaction Mechanisms; Cornell University Medical Center (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Brown University (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors and Neuromuscular Junction: From Atoms to Synapse" Biophysical Society Symposium; Chair (2002)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Cornell University Medical Center (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; SUNY Downstate (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology/Phys; UMDNJ (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; Baylor University (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Structural Biology; Univ. California San Francisco (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Univ. California Santa Barbara (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology; Oregon Health and Science University (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neurobiology; Harvard Univ. (2001)
  • "Biological Physics of Ion Transport" 4th International Conference on Biological Physics (2001)
  • "Bridging the Gap Between Structural and Molecular Biology" American Microscopy Society Annual Meeting (2001)
  • "Ion Channels - From Atomic Resolution to Functional Genomics" Novartis Symposium; London (2001)
  • "Ligand Binding and Molecular Recognition" Gordon Research Conference (2001)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Ontario and WNY Ion Channel Interest Group Conference (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Phamacology; Southern Illinois University (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; CalTech (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Anesthesiology; Univ. California Los Angeles (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Anesthesiology; Washington Univ. (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Chemistry; Marquette University (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neurobiology; Salk Institute (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Univ. California San Diego (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology and Biophysics; SUNY Stony Brook (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neurology; University of Oxford (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; University College London (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Molecular Biology; University of Cambridge (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Biology; University of Maryland (2000)
  • "Ion Channels" Gordon Research Conference (2000)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Center for Molecular Recognition; Columbia University (1999)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology and Biophysics; Univ. Washington (1999)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology; Univ. Chicago (1999)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Neuroscience; Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1999)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology and Biophysics; University of Miami (1998)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Biophysics; Johns Hopkins (1998)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Molecular Biophysics and Physiology; Rush Univ. (1998)
  • "Membrane Proteins" Symposium on Membrane Proteins; Hauptmann-Woodward Institute (1998)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology; University of Massachusetts (1997)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Pharmacology; Cornell University (1997)
  • "Channel Analysis Techniques" Biophysical Society Symposium (1996)
  • "Ion Channels" Gordon Research Conference (1996)
  • "Acetylcholine Receptors" Departmental Seminar; Physiology and Biophysics; Mayo Foundation (1995)
  • "Molecular Biophysics of Ion Channels" Tanaguchi Symposium; Nagoya, Japan (1994)
See all (105 more)

Service Activities:

  • NIH; MDCN-3; biophysics of ion channels, synapses, and transporters;; Chair (2003–2005)

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Contact Information

315 Cary Hall
South Campus
Buffalo, New York 14214
Phone: (716) 829-3573
auerbach@buffalo.edu