Dr. Sarac receives $217,500 NIH
grant to research cell excitability
Radmila Sarac, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences, received a $217,500 grant from the Heart, Lung, and Blood
National Institute of Health to perform research on the project
entitled “Molecular Specificity of GIRK channel function.”
Ion channels are important mediators of cell excitability and are
essential for proper signaling and cell function. In particular,
potassium channels play a crucial role in mediating electrical
excitability in neurons and in the heart. The specific ion channel
family that Dr. Sarac studies plays important roles in physiological
modulation of the heart beat and hyperpolarization of neurons.
Therefore, these channels contribute to normal physiological
processes and may be a target for pharmacological modulation. These
channels may also be potential targets to treat various disease
states such as cardiac arrhythmias and epilepsy. Understanding the
molecular diversity and how the various subunits contribute to the
function of the overall channel will provide useful information in
designing targets for these channels.
