Li-Yen Mae Huang, Ph.D.

Professor

research interests

Dr. Huang's research is in the area of membrane biophysics. Her research objective is to elucidate the mechanisms underlying transmission and modulation of pain signals in the central nervous system. She is particularly interested in: 1) how PKA and PKC interact with excitatory glutamate responses and inhibitory glycine responses, 2) how opioids and serotonin modulate these amino acid responses and 3) what are the roles of kinases in the modulatory actions of opioids and serotonin. Another research interest of her laboratory is to understand the mechanisms of transmitter release and molecular and functional properties of ion channels in spinal sensory neurons.

Biographical Information

After Dr. Huang received her Ph.D. in biophysics from the State University of New York at Buffalo, she went to the Mayo clinic as a Research Fellow. In 1975, Dr. Huang joined the Laboratory of Biophysics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Later, she became a Staff Fellow in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and in the Laboratory of Biophysics at NIH. Dr. Huang came to the Marine Biomedical Institute in 1982.