Professor
Biography
Professor Cui came to Washington University in St. Louis in 2004 from Case Western Reserve University, where he was an assistant professor. From 1994 to 1998, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University following work as a postdoctoral fellow at State University of New York.
Research
Professor Cui's research includes molecular basis of electrical signaling in normal and diseased cardiovascular and nervous systems. Abnormal electrical activities cause cardiac arrhythmia and neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Using experimental and computationl approaches, including molecular biology, electrophysiology, fluorescence optical measurement, kinetic modeling and protein dynamics simulation, the Cui lab analyzes the mechanism of ion channels that generate electrical signals and how genetic mutations of these important molecules alter channel function and cause diseases.
The lab also designs small molecules and discovers natural toxins that target ion channels, which can be used as research tools or drug leads.