Associate Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Field:
Expertise:
Exocytosis, membrane fusion, neurotransmitter release
Description:
Communication between neurons relies on exocytosis: upon an electrical trigger signal, neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles (tiny containers delimited by a lipid membrane) fuse with the cell membrane, releasing the transmitters, which are sensed by another neuron nearby. My laboratory is studying molecular mechanisms that allow the remarkably rapid fusion reaction which occurs within a millisecond upon triggering.