Calcium is an essential metal ion that is critical for the survival of all living organisms. For instance, during an action potential (e.g., muscle contraction), massive amounts of calcium are released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol. It is this change that triggers a process like heart beating, neuron signaling.  Dysregulation of calcium homeostasis is also associated with a number of debilitating neurological disorders ranging from AD to Parkinson’s etc. However, the molecular underpinnings of how calcium dysregulation promotes disease progression is insufficiently understood. There are several methods to study the role of calcium at the molecular level. The first entails the application of chemical probes that can detect calcium at the cellular level. Alternatively, perturbing calcium within the cell represents a complimentary approach. However, it is currently very challenging to be able to control calcium levels in a quantifiable manner. For example, the most common method to elevate calcium levels is to add this metal ion into the cell culture media. However, this method of calcium elevation is not controllable, and the increment of calcium concentration is unknown. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a newly designed calcium donor which can elevate calcium levels in a controllable manner and demonstrate the quantification of released calcium.  We expect our calcium donor can serve as a powerful tool for future calcium-related studies.

Development of a calcium donor for quantitative calcium release

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.