Yuchen obtained his bachelor’s degree from the China Pharmaceutical University in Biological Sciences. Soon after, he moved to Indiana to Purdue University where he earned his Ph.D. on the biophysics and molecular pharmacology of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and Ca2+ signaling in pancreatic β cells under the supervision of Dr. Gregory Hockerman.
In 2015, Yuchen joined Dr. Kirill Martemyanov’s lab at Scripps Florida to study the molecular mechanisms that govern the selective wiring of photoreceptors. Using molecular, cellular, biochemical combined with mouse genetics and electrophysiology, he identified novel trans-synaptic mechanisms underlying the selective wiring of both rods and cones, which ultimately provides insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying night blindness.
His postdoc findings open an exciting avenue in exploring the complex process of synapse formation and function. He hopes that the Yuchen Wang Laboratory can seek to understand the synaptic adhesions and signaling underlying information processing and how these synaptic mechanisms are perturbed under pathophysiological conditions.
Yuchen’s most notable publications belong to Neuron, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, and the Journal of Pathology.
