Dr. Gary Rudnick

Biography

Professor Rudnick graduated from Antioch College with a B.S. in Chemistry in 1968 and conducted graduate studies in enzymology in the laboratory of Robert H. Abeles in the Graduate Department of Biochemistry at Brandeis University, obtaining his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1974. His graduate work led to a better understanding of the structure and mechanism of proline racemase, which was confirmed through the crystal structure of a homologous protein in 2006. From 1973 to 1975, Professor Rudnick undertook postdoctoral research on lactose permease at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology. He joined Yale as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in 1975, and has been promoted to Professor in 1991. His research at Yale focuses on the mechanisms and structures of the mammalian serotonin transporter (SERT). Rudnick has pioneered the use of platelet plasma membrane vesicles for studying serotonin bioenergetics and transport mechanisms, contributing to the understanding of how SERT interacts with antidepressants such as imipramine and the psychostimulant MDMA (ecstasy). In addition to mechanistic studies, he has investigated spontaneous SERT mutants linked to psychiatric disorders. His work continues to be influential in the field of neuropharmacology.

Research Interests