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My
research interests lie in defining the receptor and transduction
processes in the sense of taste. Current projects of the laboratory
include 1) cloning and characterization of ion channels from
human taste tissue that are involved in sour and salty taste;
2) investigating the response of human taste cells to taste stimuli;
3) characterizing individual taste cell function based on knowledge
of the genes expressed; 4) defining the roles of neuromodulators
in taste cells; 5) quantifying gene expression after irradiation
of the tongue to determine the metabolic trigger leading to the
disappearance of the taste bud with the consequential loss of
taste. The long-term goal of this research is to characterize
the taste transduction process well enough to develop treatments
for taste abnormalities caused by medications, therapy or normal
aging
My Monell Publications
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