My major research focus concerns the processing and regulation of 7-transmembrane spanning, G protein-coupled (heptaspanning) receptors. Specifically, I am studying the receptors for gastrin-releasing peptide and for galanin.

My ongoing studies for the Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) receptor include determining the mechanisms that regulate its desensitization, or turn it off after being activated. This is of particular importance since the GRP receptor has been shown to be present on cancers arising from the GI tract, and when activated cause these cancers to grow.

The galanin receptor has been shown to be centrally involved in regulating weight gain. Therefore my laboratory is in the process of determining this receptor's chromosomal location, genomic structure, and factors involved in regulating its expression. These studies should result in future pharmacological agents that modulate this receptor, and thus may help to regulate weight gain.