Congratulations to Dr. Michael Schappe on his appointment as Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research:
“seeks to uncover the molecular logic and circuit architecture that allow sensory pathways to detect physiological danger and coordinate protective reflexes. For instance, breathing is one of our most vital behaviors, and airway sensory pathways, primarily from the vagus nerve, evoke powerful reflexes that protect the lungs and shape internal sensations including breathlessness and anxiety. We strive to define how these systems operate in health and how their dysfunction contributes to disease.
We use genetically-guided approaches including single-cell transcriptomics, intersectional mouse genetics, calcium imaging, optogenetics, and quantitative behavioral and physiological assays to link molecular identity and circuit function with organismal physiology. Our previous work identified a specific population of vagal sensory neurons, distinct from ‘lung stretch’ neurons, that sense closure of the airways by communicating with rare sentinel cells in the lung to evoke distressed breathing. These insights have broad implications for sensory biology, understanding interoception and anxiety, and neuro-immune signaling.”
Dr. Schappe completed his PhD in the Desai lab in 2019 on the Characterization of the Chanzyme TRPM7 in Macrophages.
Read more about his research here.
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