Nathaniel York Awarded ERP Student Research Grant

Nathan York
Nathan York

Nathaniel York, graduate student in the laboratory of Bikash Pattnaik, PhD, was recently awarded a one-year Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology Program (ERP) Student Research Grant from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the amount of $3,000, for his project “Characterization of Oxytocin Receptor in the RPE.” Pattnaik Laboratory findings have recently demonstrated the localization of oxytocin (OXT) to the outer segments of the cone photoreceptors. Moreover, the oxytocin receptor is expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), suggesting that oxytocinergic signaling is a potential means for communication between cone photoreceptors and the RPE. Based on these findings, Nathan has developed a project focused on describing the signaling of OXT in the RPE as well as characterizing the expression of oxytocin receptor in the retina. Congratulations, Nathan!