Using a combination of Medicinal Chemistry, Protein Chemistry and Molecular Modeling my laboratory has been active in elucidating the molecular basis of ligand gated ion channel function. We are focusing on the allosteric regulation of these proteins and the use of allosteric regulators in treating diseases of the CNS. We are particularly interested in the development of treatments for cognitive disorders including Alzheimer's disease. While we have focused on ion channels in the past, projects are rapidly expanding into other areas relevant to cognition. Due to the complexity of these disorders, our research is highly collaborative. We are currently collaborating or consulting with colleagues at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Juneau as well as investigators in Hungary, West Virginia, Louisiana and Illinois.

Students and post-doctoral fellows in my laboratory receive research training in electrophysiology, receptor binding, plasmon resonance, molecular biology, protein chemistry and cell culture. Potential graduate students and interested undergraduate and High School students are encouraged to contact me for research opportunities.

1. Schulte, M.K. Hill, R.A. Bikadi, Z. Maksay G. Parihar, H.S. Joshi, P. and Suryanarayanan, A. (2006) "The Structural Basis of Ligand Interactions in the 5-HT₃R." Biological and Biophysical Aspects of Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor Superfamilies., Ed. Hugo Arias. Research Signpost, 127-154.
2. Joshi, P.R. Suryanarayanan, A. Hazai, E. Schulte, M.K. Maksay, G and Bikadi Z. (2006) "Interactions of granisetron with an agonist-free 5-HT3A receptor model." Biochemistry 45(4):1099-105.
3. Suryanarayanan, A. Joshi, P. R. Bikadi, Z. Mani, M. Kulkarni, T. R. Gaines, C. and Schulte, M. K. (2005) "The loop C region of the murine 5-HT₃A receptor contributes to the differential actions of 5-hydroxytryptamine and m-chlorophenylbiguanide." Biochemistry 44(25), 9140-9149.
4. Joshi, P. R. Suryanarayanan, A. and Schulte, M. K. "A vertical flow chamber for Xenopus oocyte electrophysiology and automated drug screening." (2004) J Neurosci Methods 132(1), 69-79.
5.  Zhang, Y. Venkatachalan, S. P. Xu, H. Xu, X. Joshi, P. Ji, H. F. and Schulte, M. "Micromechanical measurement of membrane receptor binding for label-free drug discovery." (2004) Biosens Bioelectron 19(11), 1473-1478.

Research in Dr. Schulte's laboratory has been supported through grants from the National Science Foundation, The American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health and the NIH Alaska INBRE program.^*

^* Research has been supported by Grant Number 5P20RR016466 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.