Dr. Robert John French
Positions
Emeritus Professor
Cumming School of Medicine
Full Member
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Member
Libin Cardiovascular Institute
Contact information
Phone number
Office: 403.220.6893
Background
Educational Background
B.Sc.(Hons First Class) Zoology, University of Adelaide, 1966
Doctor of Philosophy Zoophysiology, Washington State University, 1973
Research
Areas of Research
Among proteins, ion channels offer us the unique opportunity to observe, in real time, the conformational (gating) transitions and drug interactions of a single molecule. My laboratory uses recording by patch clamp, or from single channels reconstituted into lipid bilayers, to study gating and ion conduction processes, and drug interactions, of ion channels. µ-Conotoxins are potent and specific peptide blockers of voltage-dependent sodium channels from adult skeletal muscle. Variants of these toxins, in which individual amino acids have been substituted, are being used, along with channels containing complementary amino acid substitutions, to map relationships between functionally important parts of the channel protein. ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels are present in a variety of tissues and provide an unique functional link between the cell’s metabolic state and its electrical excitability. We are examining the characteristics and roles of KATP channels, and the mechanisms by which different signaling pathways modulate their activity.
Awards
- Invited lecture, iBio-2008 World Congress of Industrial Biotechnology, Hangzhou, China. “μ-Conotoxins – from mechanisms to treatment of pain” . 2008
- Listed in Leading Scientists of the World, International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England . 2005
- Profiled on University of Calgary Great Teachers Website, University of Calgary. 2004
- Distinguished Scientist, Medical Research Council of Canada . 1996
- Heritage Medical Scientist, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research . 1997
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