Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Understanding Cell Signaling and Behavior
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology explores how cells communicate, interact and enable complex physiological function. Our labs take an interdisciplinary approach, with an emphasis on quantitative and structural approaches drawn from multiple scientific disciplines, including structural biology, biophysics, cell biology, immunology and neuroscience. By uncovering molecular and cellular processes, MCP scientists have established new paradigms in the biology of signaling and communication, such as the relationship between the structure and function of GPCRs, and the presynaptic molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal communication. We have more than 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in our 14 faculty labs.
Opening for a Faculty Position in Biological Electron Microscopy
The Departments of Structural Biology and of Molecular & Cellular Physiology at Stanford University School of Medicine have an opening for a full-time, tenure-track faculty position at any rank. Scientists with a strong record of significant research accomplishments in biological sciences that employ single particle cryo-electron microscopy or cryo-tomography as a major tool are encouraged to apply. Stanford is making a major commitment to expand its scientific resources in this area across all of its schools. More information
Research News & Notable Events
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Scientists Discover Atomic-resolution Details of Brain Signaling
Axel Brunger, the study's Principal Investigator, and scientists have revealed never-before-seen-details of how our brain sends rapid-fire messages between its cells. They mapped the 3-D atomic structure of a two-part protein complex that controls the release of signaling chemicals, called neurotransmitters, from brain cells. Understanding how cells release those signals in less than one-thousandth of a second could help launch a new wave of research on drugs for treating brain disorders.
See more at doi:10.1038/nature14975.…
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Kobilka elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Brian Kobilka was among the 197 “thinkers and doers” elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. The academy, one of the country’s most prestigious honorary societies, is a leading center for independent policy research.
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New insights into how the brain stays bright
Axel Brunger, PhD, professor and chair of Stanford’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Physioogy , and a team composed of several Stanford colleagues and UCSF scientists including Yifan Cheng, PhD, have moved neuroscience a step forward with a close-up inspection of a brain-wide nano-recycling operation. They determined atomic-resolution structures by single particle electron cryo-microscopy which show a protein called NSF alone and interacting with its target, a protein complex called SNARE that is formed when membranes fuse together.
See more at: doi:10.1038/nature14148…
MCP Faculty
