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The Du lab and Lü lab are dedicated to unraveling the complexities of sensory perception—how the human body detects external stimuli, transmits signals to the brain, and elicits appropriate responses through an intricate network of neuronal ion channels. A particular focus of the work is on understanding the biophysical mechanisms underlying temperature sensation and taste perception. Fundamental aspects of sensory processing offer profound insights into human physiology and the potential therapeutic avenues for a range of conditions. The labs employ multidisciplinary biophysical methodologies, including cryo-electron microscopy and patch-clamp electrophysiology, to visualize sensory ion channels and receptors at an atomic level and understand the role of signal transduction processes critical to sensory perception. Long-term goals include elucidating the molecular basis of temperature sensation and taste perception, exploring connections between pain and metabolism, understanding how temperature affects protein dynamics and ligand recognition, studying how temperature influences taste perception at a mechanistic animal level, and developing novel therapeutics for pain therapy and metabolic diseases using structure-guided drug design approaches.
Standard PhD requirements for TGS departments including Chemistry, Physics, and Sociology.