University of Iowa Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

09/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ish*ta Chandel, recipient of the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics' High-Impact Research Award!

Following her recent first-author publication in Science, Dr. Chandel shared her work with the department during a research workshop on "Xylose phosphatase activity of dystroglycan self-regulates its receptor function." The High-Impact Research Award recognizes graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who achieve first-author publications in Nature, Science, or Cell. We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition of Dr. Chandel's exceptional achievement.

09/02/2026

The Hultman Lab is looking for an outstanding post-baccalaureate research intern to support Dr. Hultman's R01, “Investigating single cell transcriptomics and epigenetic regulation to enable stress-resistant brain network activity." Please share broadly.

Jobs@UIOWA: The official place to search and apply for jobs at The University of Iowa.

08/25/2026

The Physiology graduate students gathered for a social event last week to connect before the start of the semester. A special thanks to Aleigha Gugel, Stephanie Hernandez, and Gabe Prather for organizing the event.

08/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Gantz, her lab, and collaborators on their new publication "Activation of mu-opioid receptors slows pacemaking in hypothalamic A11 dopamine neurons" in Neuropsychopharmacology!

Learn more about the publication from Dr. Gantz's LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7496692503232802818.

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08/14/2026

We are proud to announce that Dr. Kevin Campbell's lab has published a new paper in Science!

The study, "Xylose phosphatase activity of dystroglycan self-regulates its receptor function," reveals a previously unknown mechanism by which dystroglycan controls its own activity through regulation of matriglycan synthesis. The discovery advances our understanding of the molecular basis of dystroglycanopathies and opens new avenues for investigating diseases caused by defective dystroglycan function.

Congratulations to first author Dr. Ish*ta Chandel, whose leadership and dedication were instrumental to this work, and to Dr. Kevin Campbell and the research team on this exceptional achievement.

08/10/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Mike Anderson, his lab, and collaborators on their new publication in Experimental Eye Research: “C1q dependency of retinal ganglion cell death in blast-mediated traumatic brain injury.”

This study found that blocking a specific immune pathway may help protect vision after traumatic brain injury, offering hope for future treatments.

🔗 Read the article:

08/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Ahern, his lab, and collaborators on their new publication in Molecular Psychiatry:“Nonsense-mediated decay influences position-dependent effects of SCN2A premature stop codons on neuronal excitability and behavior.”

🔗 Read the article:

SCN2A encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.2, a central regulator of action potential initiation and propagation in glutamatergic neurons, and one of the strongest single-gene risk factors for autism spectrum disorder. Premature termination codons in SCN2A are widely considered to produce u...

08/04/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Chris Ahern and his team members Dr. Ahmad Al Saneh and Dr. Lionel Gissot on their new publication in Nucleic Acids Research, "Programmed repair of disease-causing UGA premature termination codons in mammalian brain."

Their work demonstrates a promising strategy for repairing disease-causing premature stop codons in the mammalian brain, advancing the development of genetic therapies for neurodevelopmental disorders caused by nonsense mutations.

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Abstract. Protein-truncating variants caused by stop codons are the most prevalent class of rare variant mutations in neurodevelopmental diseases, with UGA

08/03/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Moye-Rowley, his lab, and collaborators on their new publication in Genetics, "Candida glabrata YPK2 is a multidrug susceptibility locus."

This work advances our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying antifungal drug susceptibility in Candida glabrata, an important human fungal pathogen.

🔗 Read the article:

Abstract. The biological conservation between fungi and mammals due to a common ancestor has made development of selective antifungal drugs a difficult cha

07/28/2026

We're excited to celebrate the Year 22 renewal of the Iowa Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center (P50NS053672) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke!

Congratulations to Drs. Kevin Campbell, Katherine Mathews, and Steven Moore and the entire Wellstone team, on this continued recognition of their outstanding work advancing muscular dystrophy research and patient care.