Investigators and Program Directors
Robert A. Waniewski
Research Scientist, Wadsworth Center
Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences
Ph.D., Pharmacology, The George Washington University (1980)
Postdoctoral training: The Armed Forces Radiobiology Research
Institute, Bethesda, MD and the Toxicology Institute, New York
State Department of Health
E-mail: robert.waniewski@wadsworth.org
Research Interests
I study the cellular compartmentation and biochemical regulation of GABA and glutamate in the brain. These are the major inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters of the mammalian central nervous system. GABA and glutamate are biochemically linked but the regulation of their synthesis and storage are poorly understood. I examine the synthesis, release, transport, and metabolism of these neurotransmitters in CNS neurons and glia. We need to understand how these biochemical pathways are normally regulated and how they malfunction in nervous system disorders and in response to toxicant exposure. The goal is to develop new pharmacologic approaches for manipulating these pathways in such disease states as epilepsy, stroke, ALS and Huntington disease. My major techniques are high pressure liquid chromatography of radiolabelled and endogenous amino acids, cell and tissue culture, immunocytochemistry, transporter and enzyme assays, protein separation by gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting. I am currently examining how the two isoforms of the GABA synthetic enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), are differentially targeted to different locations in the neuron.
Contact Information
Phone: (518)486-2551
E-mail: robert.waniewski@wadsworth.org.