Jun 10
8
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine have been awarded a grant of more than $1.8 million for their research into the brain mechanisms responsible for drug abuse and addiction and other mental illnesses such as depression. The grant will support a lab led by John Wang, M.D., Ph.D., who is the Westport Anesthesia/Missouri Endowed Chair and professor of Basic Medical Science at the UMKC School of Medicine.
The newly funded grant will allow Wang and his team to continue this innovative research and to search for new interacting partners of glutamate receptors. Their recent findings have been published in Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, EMBO Journal, and Journal of Neuroscience.
Wang’s current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of glutamate receptors, which have been implicated in previous studies as playing a key role in the pathologies of various neurodegenerative diseases. His research team has recently identified a novel protein-protein interaction between an enzyme and a receptor in brain cells. This previously unrecognized protein-protein interaction model is critical for controlling cellular and behavioral activity.
“Neurodegenerative conditions, such as drug addiction and depression, represent major medical and social problems across the globe,” Wang said. “We believe this research will ultimately contribute to the development of novel pharmacotherapies — by targeting glutamate receptors — for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders.”
