We are a molecular neuroscience lab located at QMUL's Whitechapel Campus investigating the
mechanisms of calcium channel regulation.
OUR LAB
Founded in 2022, we are a research group located in the heart of East London at Queen Mary
University of London's Whitechapel campus.
As part of the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, we are situated among an
interdisciplinary range of scientists.
At the Blizard Institute, we have access to state-of-the-art biomedical research facilities and
close connection with the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
Our research focuses on the regulatory mechanisms underpinning the function of neuronal
voltage-gated calcium channels, key signalling molecules underlying higher order brain function.
Calcium influx triggered by electrical excitation is the fastest and most widespread chemical
signal in excitable cells, such as neurons, cardiac, and muscle cells. Voltage-Activated Calcium
(CaV) Channels regulate this influx, initiating essential physiological processes like synaptic
transmission, neuronal excitability, muscle contraction, and gene expression. These channels are
complex molecular machines embedded in the plasma membrane, and their dysfunction can lead to
serious conditions, including neuropathic pain, hypertension, and cardiac arrhythmias. As a
result, CaV channels are critical targets for drugs designed to treat these diseases.
CaV channels are molecular complexes composed of several proteins: the CaVα1 subunit, which forms the calcium-selective pore, and the CaVβ and CaVα2δ
subunits. Our lab investigates the structure-function relationships, interactions, and cellular
trafficking of neuronal calcium channels. We focus on understanding how the assembly of
different protein subunits regulates the channels' biological activity and the mechanisms of
action of drugs targeting them.