Pantazis Laboratory of Cellular Excitability - PaLaCE

Our research

Ion channel function, structure and regulation in health and disease. Ion channels are fascinating proteins that generate and sense electrical signals in the cell.

In the Pantazis Laboratory of Cellular Excitability - PaLaCE, we employ cutting-edge experimental and computational approaches to understand how the intricate structure of ion channels relates to their function.

We also study how protein partners and signaling molecules regulate ion channel activity, altering their structure and bestowing new functional properties. Finally, we are striving to understand, at the molecular level, life-threatening diseases that arise from ion channel dysfunction (channelopathies). We use techniques such as electrophysiology, fluorescence spectroscopy, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, and computer simulation—in addition, we develop new methods to tackle experimental challenges in physiology.

Click play to see how the voltage-clamp fluorometry technique “illuminates” a voltage-gated calcium channel complex (structure #7MIY by the Yan lab).

Research group

Antonios Pantazis

Associate Professor, Docent

Michelle Nilsson

PhD student

Serena Pozzi

PhD student

Kaiqian Wang

Postdoc

Amaya Jauregi Miguel

Principal Research Engineer

News and Twitter

Lab notices

March 2023

🏆 Award: Michelle Nilsson’s article received the “Best Scientific Paper Award” by the LiU Medical Faculty Student Association.

🙂 People: Panagiota “Penny” Gkotsi (Univ. of Patras School of Medicine) is joining us as an Erasmus+ exchange student.

🙂 People: Serena Pozzi is now officially a PhD student! She will study how a new variant of the cardiac sodium channel causes an unexpected, familial, and sometimes lethal type of cardiac arrhythmia.

February 2023

🌎🏆 Conference & Award: Biophysical Society annual meeting, San Diego, CA. Michelle gave a platform presentation; Serena, Catherine and Antonios presented posters, and there was one more poster from our collaboration with the Olcese lab, UCLA. Antonios also co-chaired the Voltage-gated sodium and calcium channel platforms session. Catherine was given a travel award by the Biophysical Society!
Read more on Twitter

News articles from LiU

A subtle genetic change gives new clues about epilepsy

Sometimes, even the alteration of a single nucleotide in a gene can cause serious disease. A recent study sheds light on the molecular biology behind some forms of genetic epilepsy.

People mingling at Building 511, Campus US.

The WCMM-LiU symposium highlights crucial topics in medical science

Researchers from LiU, Sweden and invited international scientists, will give talks focusing on a broad range of topics around science, medicine, and technology. The WCMM-LiU symposium is an opportunity to network, interact, and share ideas.

Antonios Pantazis looks at our biophysics in high resolution

How do you measure protein motion? Can you see protein molecules moving at high resolution? Antonios Pantazis is the most recently recruited research fellow at the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, and he has developed a method that he believes will advance research into ion channels.

External news articles

A simple mistake in the DNA code caused epilepsy

Lotta Fredholm interviewed Antonios Pantazis about their lab’s work on epilepsy-causing mutations on the KCNA2-gene (in Swedish).

The schematic used for the cover of this external news article.

A new epilepsy-associated mutation in a potassium channel causes multigenic loss of function

Michelle Nilsson, PhD student at LiU, was invited to contribute an article explaining her latest PNAS paper in Neurologi i Sverige (in Swedish).

Publications

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Lab Alumni

Giraldez lab, University of La Laguna

LinkoCare

Research area

The Brain and the Nervous System

Research on the nervous system has made great strides in recent years. At Linköping University we are focusing among other things on the research on addictions, dementia and hearing disorders.

The Heart and Blood Vessels

The cardiovascular system is a fascinating organ system whose task is to supply all the body’s organs with oxygen and nutrients, as well as carrying away waste products.

Cell and Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology research focus on how molecules and systems within cells interact. Of special interest is the flow of genetic information from DNA via RNA to protein synthesis, and how these processes are regulated.

Organisation

Image of molecules that will take you to WCMM's homepage.

Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine at LiU

WCMM at LiU focuses on the medicine-technology interface, and build upon our existing strengths in research within medical technology, materials science and bioengineering.

Teaser image for the division NEURO at BKV

Division of Neurobiology (NEURO)

The Division of Neurobiology conducts research on the nervous system and the sensory organs.

Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV)

What characterizes the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV) is the wide breadth of research and education. BKV is one of the largest departments at LiU with affiliation mainly to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Pantazis Laboratory of Cellular Excitability - PaLaCE

Our research

Research group