Wesley B. Asher, PhD

Wesley B. Asher is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Molecular Therapeutics in the Neuroscience Area of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and a Research Scientist at the Research Foundation of Mental Hygiene, Inc. at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Asher’s research focuses on investigating the structural and functional mechanisms of G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) and their signaling partners at the molecular level. GPCRs are the largest family of transmembrane-protein receptors and are major targets for the development of therapeutics treating various disorders. The structural basis of how drug binding and specificity in GPCRs is transduced into signaling protein activation as well as how receptor dimerization influences signaling are still unclear. Dr. Asher uses a variety of biochemical and biophysical approaches, with a focus on using single-molecule imaging techniques to understand receptor signaling and dimerization. Investigating individual GPCRs and their effectors allows for an unprecedented view into GPCR biology not possible with traditional approaches, with the potential for revealing new insights into molecular events that mediate receptor function.