Researchers Create the First Maps of Two Melatonin Receptors Essential for Sleep

Updated May 28, 2019

Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of pharmacology and toxicology, is interviewed about an international team of researchers that has used an X-ray laser to create the first detailed maps of two melatonin receptors that tell our bodies when to go to sleep or wake up and guide other biological processes, a finding that could enable researchers to design better drugs to combat sleep disorders, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. "Since the discovery of melatonin 60 years ago, there have been many landmark discoveries that led to this moment," she said.