Message archive

Stem cell derived human nociceptors contain specific sets of voltage-gated sodium channels

The study of human peripheral pain is severely hampered by the lack of adequate human model systems. Recently, a protocol was published with which it is possible to produce peripheral sensory neurons…

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Dr. Dominik Wiemuth was awarded the Venia legendi

Today our colleague Dr. Dominik Wiemuth was awarded the Venia legendi for Physiology by the Medical Faculty of the RWTH Aachen, based on his habilitiation „The Brain-Liver-Intestine Na+ Channel…

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Our former scientist Cathérine Lefèvre successfully finished her PhD thesis

Today our PhD student Cathérine Lefèvre successfully defended her dissertation entitled " Pharmakologische und elektrophysiologische Charakterisierung des humanen intestinalen Natriumkanals (hINAc)".…

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Our scientist Katrin Augustinowski successfully finished her PhD thesis

Today our PhD student Katrin Augustinowski successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Energetical contributions of intersubunit salt bridges of rASIC1a and investigations about the stoichiometry…

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Characterization of an orthologue of the mammalian apoptosis channel TRPM2 from the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis

Ion channels of the der Transient Receptor Potential (TRP)-family are universal cellular sensors and effectors. Currently we examine TRPM2 which has been shown to be involved in cellular apoptosis…

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Voltage-sensor trapping as a mechanism of painful gain-of-function mutations

Mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 are known to be linked to the inherited pain syndrome Erythromelalgia. The majority of these mutations produce a prominent shift of their…

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New insights from genetic pain syndromes

Erythromelalgia is, like PEPD (paroxysmal extreme pain disorder), a rare inherited severe pain syndrome caused by mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7. Clinically both diseases are…

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Our scientist Mathis Winking successfully finished his PhD thesis

Today our PhD student Mathis Winking successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Functional cooperation of the transmembrane segments S3 and S4 during the gating process of TRPM8." We sincerely…

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Large variety of peptide-gated ion channels in the freshwater polyp Hydra

It is textbook knowledge that fast synaptic transmission with ion channels exclusively uses small molecule neurotransmitters. In our publication "The comprehensive analysis of DEG/ENaC subunits in…

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Dr. Jannis Meents from Cambridge joins the Institute of Physiology

Dr. Jannis Meents studied biology at the Humboldt University Berlin and completed his PhD at the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge. He now joins the research group of Prof.…

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Teaching award PAULA goes to teacher of Institute of Physiology

Prof. Stefan Gründer, Director of the Institute of Physiology, has received the teaching award PAULA („Preis für Ausgezeichnete Universitäre Lehre vergeben von Aachens Medizinstudierenden“) for the…

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Composition of an important ion channel elucidated.

Ion channels usually are oligomeric proteins – they are composed of different subunits, which can be identical or different.  The hetero-oligomeric acid-sensing ion channel 1a/2a is broadly expressed…

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