EUEmory University · Pharmacology
Glutamate Receptor Research Lab
Stephen F Traynelis · Atlanta, Georgia
Research Focus
Dr. Stephen Traynelis's lab at Emory University focuses on understanding how glutamate receptors function in the brain and their role in neurological diseases. The team employs advanced techniques like electrophysiology and cryo-electron microscopy to explore how genetic variations in these receptors can affect synaptic function and contribute to disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. By developing new therapeutic compounds, they aim to improve treatments and identify precision medicine strategies for brain-related conditions.
glutamate receptorsneurological diseaseNMDA receptorsynaptic functiontherapeutic strategiesprecision medicineelectrophysiologymolecular biologydrug development
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the role of genetic variations in glutamate receptors and their implications for neurological diseases.
AIM 02Develop novel compounds to treat disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
AIM 03Explore the mechanism of action of biased modulators of NMDA receptors to improve neuroprotection.
AIM 04Utilize structural biology techniques to understand how glutamate binding influences receptor channel opening.
Skills the Lab Values
electrophysiologycryoelectron microscopymedicinal chemistrygenetic analysispharmacologystructural biologysynthesis of compoundsanimal modelsdata analysismolecular cloning
Output against the department
Publications339top 21% of dept.98th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations30ktop 9% of dept.43rd of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.