Bio-X Affiliated Faculty

Dr. Maduke's laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of ion channels and transporters, the proteins that catalyze this transport. Ion transport across the hydrophobic barrier of the cell membrane is a primary challenge faced by all cells. Such transport sets up and exploits ion gradients, thus providing the basic energy and signaling events that are the foundation of life. The goal of research in the Maduke laboratory is to determine the molecular mechanisms of the “ClC” chloride channels and transporters. Their major research focus is on the chloride-selective CLC family, which contains both types ion-transport protein. CLC proteins are expressed ubiquitously and perform diverse physiological functions in cardiovascular, neuronal, muscular, and epithelial function. They use a combination of biophysical methods to investigate membrane-protein structure and dynamics together with electrophysiological analyses to directly measure function.