Mentor Areas
The Foskett lab studies ion channels and calcium signaling. Ion channels are proteins that control the flow of ions, including sodium, chloride and calcium, across biological membranes. This function is important for many physiological functions, ranging from nerve conduction, taste perception and regulation of metabolism. Mutations in ion channels cause many different diseases. Calcium is a ubiquitous ionic signaling molecules in all cells in the body, controlling muscle contraction, cell migration, cancer proliferation, etc.
Description:
The research areas in the lab of most interest now are the following:
- MCU is an ion channel localized in the powerhouse of the cell, the mitochondrion. Calcium flux through MCU regulates ATP production and metabolism. We are interested in its physiological roles, especially in cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and how it works.
- We are also interested in CALHM1/3. We discovered this ion channel and found that it is essential for the taste perception of sweet and bitter substances.
- Finally, we are interested in the InsP3R. This is a ubiquitous intracellular calcium ion channel that provides calcium signals in response to external stimuli that regulates many cell biological processes. One important role of this ion channel is to provide calcium to MCU to support mitochondrial metabolism.
We use various approaches, including biophysical ones (various types of electrophysiology, spectrophotometry, live cell microscopic imaging) and well as molecular biology and biochemistry. A student could be mentored within any one of these research areas, and focus on any of the technical approaches we employ. Our goals are to teach the scientific method, i.e. how to think creatively and critically; how to do rigorous, reproducible scientific experiments; how to present scientific results; and if we're lucky, how to publish a scientific study in a journal.
Preferred Qualifications
Technical skills are not required…we’ll teach them. It is helpful to have taken a course in cell biology. Motivated majors in biology, bioengineering or biophysics would be most appropriate, and having blocks of free time in the course schedule to do experiments in the lab is essential.
Details:
Preferred Student Year
Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.