Who we are
The laboratory of Prof. Obermair at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Division of Physiology, is mainly interested in understanding calcium channel regulation within nerve cells. In particular we are focusing synaptic functions and calcium channel regulation by auxiliary proteins such as α2δ. Mutations in α2δ proteins can lead to neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, and many more. To investigate the role of α2δ proteins in health and disease we are analyzing calcium channel activation and membrane expression using wildtype and mutated α2δ variants.
We are combining molecular biology and protein biochemistry with patch clamp electrophysiology and fluorescence microscopy, for example, by staining α2δ proteins with specific nanobodies. We are confident that our findings will gain new insights into nerve cell function and development in order to find strategies
to treat neurological disorders.
Why/How are we going Green
We have already implemented most recommendations from the “Greenlabsaustria” initiative in order to safe energy and to reduce waste. In particular, our lab is now using reusable glass pipettes for buffer preparation and glass tubes to grow bacterial cultures. Moreover, we wash and reuse falcon tubes and recycle clean paper and plastic-ware. Additionally, we are shipping used pipette tip inlets back to the companies for recycling. We are sharing the lab with the Stoiber-Sakaguchi laboratory (Division of Pharmacology) and together hold monthly meetings to discuss how we could further reduce waste and safe energy. Saving the environment is that easy: “One small step for a lab, one giant leap to protect our earth!”
