01
Encoding homeostatic need
We investigate how the nervous system encodes homeostatic setpoints and how cellular excitability stores information about internal homeostatic demand.
Drosophila model system
Homeostasis in health and disease
We study how neural circuits, membrane excitability, and internal metabolic signals work together to maintain homeostasis across cells, circuits, behavior, and whole-body physiology. Using Drosophila as a tractable systems model, we connect single-cell physiology to feeding behavior, nutrient-specific motivation, and disease-relevant metabolic disruption in obesity, cachexia, and related disorders.
- Circuits Internal need and homeostatic state encoding
- Methods Electrophysiology, imaging, genetics, behavior
- Direction Obesity, cachexia, and metabolism-linked disease
Research themes
Three connected questions drive the lab.
02
Reprogramming homeostasis
We dissect neuromodulatory and intracellular signaling pathways that tune membrane potential, reshape homeostatic motivation, and recalibrate behavioral output.
03
From homeostasis to disease
We extend homeostatic setpoint biology toward obesity, cancer-associated anorexia, and cachexia to understand how peripheral pathology perturbs brain-body communication.