Successful dissertation defense by Dr. Vishal Sudha Bhagavath Eswaran

The title of his thesis is:

“Na_v-igating voltage-gated sodium channels: structure, biophysics and modulation”

Dr. Eswarans work investigates how voltage-gated sodium channels open and close their pores, and how their activity is altered by disease-associated mutations, membrane composition, and drug interactions. By combining computer-aided modeling with experimental techniques, he demonstrates how structural changes affect the behavior of the channels, including ion conductance and inactivation. These findings provide new insights into channel-related diseases and potential therapeutic strategies. Dr. Eswaran’s thesis lead to two publications titled “Depletion of membrane cholesterol modifies structure, dynamic and activation of Nav1.7” and “α-Adrenoreceptor blocker phentolamine inhibits voltage-gated sodium channels via the local anaesthetic binding site”, which were released in the Journal of Biological Macromolecules and British Journal of Pharmacology.

The Institute of Neurophysiology is pleased that Dr. Vishal Sudha Bhagavath Eswaran will continue as a postdoctoral researcher at the institute.