Daniel Schmidt

The Schmidt lab is engineering ion channels to endow them with user-controlled modulation. This would enable analysis of their roles in defined cell types, and in circuits containing those cell types neuromuscular tissue. We are developing the necessary experimental methods and analytical frameworks that will expand our understanding of ion channel gating and increase our ability to rationally engineer these functions. Another area is Adeno-Associated virus (AAV), which has emerged as a safe viral gene delivery vector but whose broad tropism limits cell-type specific infection. We address this shortcoming by engineering the viral capsid itself, so that we can replace broad tropism with precise, receptor-mediated targeting. The outcome is viral vectors that enable gene delivery to different cell types with minimal cross-talk or off-target effects.