“Designing Novel Strategies for Next Generation Calcium Channel Blockers”,
Travis Morgenstern,
Dept of Pharm & Molecular Signaling
Voltage-gated calcium channels control the cellular passage of calcium ions which is critical for muscle contraction, signaling between neurons, and many other processes. Drugs that block these channels are prescribed to treat hypertension, chronic pain and other diseases but their use is limited because of off-target effects. Morgenstern's work seeks to increase the precision of the blockers by genetically encoding the calcium channels to increase their selective inhibition.
First Thursday Graduate Scholar Talks take place the first Thursday of each month during the academic year. The talks provide young scholars an opportunity to make a generalist presentation on their research to a cross-disciplinary audience ready to listen carefully and ask good questions. EPIC members help give the Ph.D. students a useful learning experience and at the same time learn about something that may be well beyond their own scholarly interests. Complimentary lunch provided. RSVP required.
