Chemical tools to study molecular events at synapses
Join us in person or online via Teams - e-mail carolyn.thackrah@pharm.ox.ac.uk for joining instructions
Our lab develops chemical tools to study proteins dynamics in living cells without genetic modifications—with a stong focus on neuron-glia interactions. In the brain, synaptic connections are the foundation of a healthy neuronal network. Uncontrolled loss of these connections can lead to neurological diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson. The phenotypes are well studied, but the molecular processes that dictate whether a synapse will get strengthened or destroyed are still not understood. Membrane proteins involved in cellular communication control the fate of a synapse and must be studied in living cells to gain meaningful insight. Chemical approaches offer alternative solutions to current genetic methods.

This talk will highlight how small molecules can be modified to monitor, tag, or control proteins involved in critical neurobiological processes. They include membrane proteins such as: glutamate receptors, voltage-gated calcium channels, integrins, and neurexin. We have created a number of molecular probes that can be used as functional reporters or as activity-triggers of cellular activity. Together, these small molecules help us gain unprecedented insight in the function of native proteins in cells like neurons.
Date: 15 October 2024, 12:00 (Tuesday, 1st week, Michaelmas 2024)
Venue: Pharmacology, off Mansfield Road OX1 3QT
Venue Details: David Smith Lecture Theatre
Speaker: Associate Professor Frederic Menard (Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia)
Organising department: Department of Pharmacology
Organiser: Carolyn Thackrah (University of Oxford, Department of Pharmacology)
Organiser contact email address: carolyn.thackrah@pharm.ox.ac.uk
Host: Dr Tim Viney (Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford)
Part of: Pharmacology, Anatomical Neuropharmacology and Drug Discovery Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Carolyn Thackrah