This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project, supported in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, aims to use state- of-the-art scanning probe techniques to study the dynamics of ion channel conformation changes at the single protein level. Professor Dunn and his students at the University of Kansas will use near-field scanning optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy to study the mechanism of action of ion channels to better understand a broad range of neurophysiological processes. Undergraduate and graduate students will be introduced to and involved in the work supported by the CAREER research project both in the laboratory and in the classroom. The understanding of neurological processes that occur at ion channels in membranes has been limited by the lack of methods to see these processes while they occur. Professor Dunn will use newly developed methods to observe these reactions in real time at the single molecule level. The insights provided by this work have potential impact in understanding a broad range of neurochemical areas. The research and educational objectives of this CAREER proposal will have high pedagogical impact due to the application of state-of-the-art methods to the study of these problems.
