Investigator Labs

Part of the CV Starr Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology

Work in the Accardi lab is aimed at uncovering the molecular and structural underpinnings regulating the movement of charged ions across cellular membranes. This process results in the electrical currents underlying scores of fundamental physiological processes such as the neuronal action potential, muscle contraction, insulin secretion and signal transduction. In the lab, we use a combination of techniques to study this phenomenon, ranging from X-ray crystallography, to single channel and macroscopic current electrophysiology, calorimetry, reconstitution into synthetic lipid bilayers and other biochemical assays.

Members

Alessio Accardi

Alessio Accardi, PhD — Principal Investigator
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics in Anesthesiology
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Professor of Biochemistry

Maria Falzone
Graduate Student 

Lilia Leisle
Postdoctoral Associate

Eva Verdejo
Graduate Student

Byoungcheol Lee, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879

Part of the CV Starr Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology

The overall focus of the lab is to better define the mechanisms by which a diverse group of pharmacological agents produce anesthesia. A potentially important region within the central nervous system (CNS) for contributing to the anesthetized state is the thalamus. This raises a number of basic questions, such as: What are the effects of different anesthetics on synaptic transmission in the thalamus? Do these drugs have unique effects in specific thalamic regions as a function of differences in receptor expression? GABA release is controlled by multiple mechanisms, including a variety of ion channels; is the function of those channels altered in the presence of anesthetics? The lab uses electrophysiological, immunohistochemical, and molecular biological techniques to address those issues.

Members

Dr. Paul Goldstein

Peter Goldstein, MD — Principal Investigator
Professor of Anesthesiology
Professor of Anesthesiology in Neuroscience
Associate Professor of Medical Ethics in Medicine

Gareth Tibbs, PhD
Research Associate 

Kelly Aromolaran
Postdoctoral Associate

Rebecca Joyce
Research Technician

Latrice Goss 
Senior Grant Administrator 
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879

The Laboratory of Molecular Anesthesiology

In the Hemmings laboratory, the effects of general anesthetics on neurotransmitter release (e.g., glutamate, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, neuropeptides) and on their interactions between specific presynaptic proteins involved in the control of neurotransmitter release (ion channels, SNAREs) are being studied at the behavioral, network, cellular and molecular levels in animal models, cultured cells and neurons, brain slices, isolated nerve terminals and using purified recombinant proteins. Techniques include biochemical, imaging, and electro-physiological approaches.

Lab Website

Members

Hugh Hemmings, Jr., MD

Hugh C. Hemmings, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.A. — Principal Investigator
Senior Associate Dean for Research
Chair of Anesthesiology
Joseph F. Artusio, Jr. Professor of Anesthesiology
Professor of Anesthesiology 
Professor of Pharmacology    

Karl Herold, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate

Iris Ann Speigel
Postdoctoral Associate in Anesthesiology

Irem Atasoy
Postdoctoral Associate

Bela Zimmer
Postdoctoral Associate

Kishan Patel
Research Technician

Riley Williams
Research Technician

Vanessa Osman 
Graduate Student

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-2744
fax: 212-746-8316

Part of the CV Starr Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology

Research in the Nimigean Laboratory is geared toward understanding how ion channel protein structure and mechanism interrelate at the molecular level to allow channels to elaborate various biological properties. We use a combination of molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological approaches to evaluate in a complete fashion fundamental channel properties within the context of emerging structural data.

VISIT THE NIMIGEAN LAB WEBSITE

Members

Crina Nimigean

Crina Nimigean, PhD — Principal Investigator
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics in Anesthesiology 
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics
Professor of Biochemistry

Chen Fan, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Xiaolong Gao, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Elizabeth Kim, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Philipp Schmidpeter, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Nattakan Sukomon, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879

VISIT THE NIMIGEAN LAB WEBSITE

The Platholi Laboratory investigates how anesthetic modulation of activity-dependent signaling molecules, such as BDNF and ion channels, contribute to sustained and pathological actions on synaptic plasticity. Parallel research strategies include pharmacological and functional assays in cellular systems with in vivo Ca2+ imaging and behavioral studies in transgenic mouse models to identify how anesthetic-mediated disruption of activity-dependent signaling intersects with genetic variation, aging, and neurodegenerative disease to influence susceptibility for synaptic dysfunction.

Lab Website

MEMBERS

Jimcy Platholi, PhD

Jimcy Platholi, PhD — Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Brain and Mind Institute

Karl Herold, M.D., Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate

Iris Ann Speigel
Postdoctoral Associate in Anesthesiology

Irem Atasoy
Postdoctoral Associate

Bela Zimmer
Postdoctoral Associate

Kishan Patel
Research Technician

Riley Williams
Research Technician

Vanessa Osman 
Graduate Student

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-2744
fax: 212-746-8316

The Laboratory of Anesthetic Neuropsychopharmacology

The Pryor Lab studies the interaction between anesthetic drugs and the memory and emotional systems of the human brain. Because anesthetics have such a remarkable effect on human memory, careful study of the mechanisms of these drugs can provide critical insight into how human memory functions work. This research involves the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and neurophysiology techniques.

Members

Kane Pryor, MD — Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in Clinical Psychiatry
Director of Clinical Research

James Root, PhD
Experimental Neuropsychologist

Meghana Mehta, ME
Computer Programming Specialist

Laboratory of Neural Systems and Behavior 

Dr. Calderon's laboratory is interested in understanding how the different components of the arousal pathways participate in establishing and maintaining consciousness in the brain. In particular, she and her team members are interested in determining neuronal circuitries and the dynamics of subcortical and cortical activity that promote wakefulness under normal and pathological conditions. Their ultimate goal is to elucidate the neuronal mechanisms by which the brain recovers from low brain activity states and apply this knowledge to design devices for monitoring anesthetized patients as well as to develop treatment to produce adequate brain activation to treat impaired consciousness after brain injury.

Lab Website

Members

Diany Paola Calderon, MD, PhD — Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Brain and Mind Research Institute 

Sijia Gao M.S.
Graduate Student

Youcef Bouchekioua
Postdoctoral Associate 

Sabrina Krebs
Visiting student

Sarah Haiken
Visiting student

Jessica Horvath
Laboratory Technician

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879

High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy: Movies of Biomolecules at Work

Dr. Scheuring's laboratory specializes in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based technologies for the study of various membrane phenomena, such as membrane protein structure, assembly, diffusion and conformational dynamics. While the resolution of membrane protein structures becomes more common due to the impressive progresses in cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the characterization of protein dynamics and assembly into superstructures remains poorly understood and difficult to study. Over the past few years, his laboratory has been instrumental in the development and application of High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy (HS-AFM), unique for the analysis of dynamics of unlabeled single molecules, allowing to bridge structure and function. 

Members

Simon Scheuring, M.S., Ph.D. — Principal Investigator
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics in Anesthesiology
Professor of Physiology and Biophysics

Martina Rangl
Postdoctoral Associate

Ryan Michels 
Research Administrative Assistant 

Alma Perez Perrino
Postdoctoral Associate

Atsushi Miyagi
Postdoctoral Associate

Hirohido Takahashi
Postdoctoral Associate

Grigory Tagiltsev
Ph.D. Thesis

Nebojsa Jukic
Ph.D. Thesis

Fang Jiao
Postdoctoral Associate

George Heath 
Postdoctoral Associate

Yi-Chih Lin
Postdoctoral Associate

Tina Matin
Postdoctoral Associate

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879

Visit the Scheuring Lab Website: 
 

 

The Riegelhaupt lab is focused on understanding the physiology and pharmacology of tandem pore (K2P) potassium ion channels. K2P channels establish the resting membrane potential of cells throughout the body and modulation of K2P activity shapes cellular excitability. This family of channels plays an important role in a range of human diseases, including cardiac arrhythmia, depression, migraine, and pulmonary hypertension. Our lab utilizes a combination of electrophysiology, cryo-electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry to define the mechanisms by which anesthetics, lipids, and other pharmacology target K2P channels to modulate their behavior. There are currently no K2P specific drugs in use in clinical practice and we aim to leverage insights into the gating and regulation of these channels to ultimately develop specific and sensitive K2P targeted pharmacology for use in the treatment of human disease.

Members

Dr. Paul Riegelhaupt

Paul Riegelhaupt, MD, PhD — Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

Elena Riel, PhD
Posdoctoral Associate

Leila Khajoueinejad, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate

Latrice Goss
Senior Grant Administrator
phone: 212-746-5325
fax: 212-746-4879 

Contact Us

Dept. of Anesthesiology
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine
525 East 68th Street, Box 124
New York, NY 10065

Office of the Chair
Phone: (212) 746-2962
E-mail:  Office of the Chair, anesthesiology-chair@med.cornell.edu

Residency and Fellowship Education
Direct all inquiries to:
Phone: (212) 746-2941
E-mail: anes-programs@med.cornell.edu
For trainee verification inquiries: anes-verification@med.cornell.edu

Patient Billing Inquiries
Phone: (646) 962-5700