The Biophysical Journal Names Marcel P. Goldchen-Ohm the 2024 Paper of the Year-Early Career Investigator Awardee

ROCKVILLE, MD – Marcel P. Goldschen-Ohm, of the University of Texas at Austin, USA will be honored as the recipient of the Biophysical Journal Paper of the Year-Early Career Investigator Award at the 69^th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, held February 15-19 in Los Angeles, California. This award recognizes the work of outstanding early career investigators in biophysics. The winning paper is titled “GABA_A Receptor Subunit M2-M3 Linkers Have Asymmetric Roles in Pore Gating and Diazepam Modulation.” The paper was published in Volume 123, Issue 14 of Biophysical Journal.

GABAA receptors mediate inhibitory synaptic signaling in the central nervous system and are implicated in various neurological disorders, including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia. As members of the cys-loop pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family, they serve as key molecular targets for widely prescribed psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines, which are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy. Despite recent advances in structural studies, the precise molecular mechanisms governing GABAAR gating and allosteric modulation by benzodiazepines is still largely unknown. By analyzing alanine substitutions in the linkers between the transmembrane segments, this work was able to reveal subunit-specific asymmetries in their contributions to channel activation and diazepam (DZ) modulation. These findings challenge the conventional view of GABAARs as undergoing symmetric conformational changes and provide new insights into the energetics of receptor function.

“The Paper of the Year-Early Career Investigator Award was created to recognize and honor the groundbreaking work being done by scientists in the early stages of their research careers and the potential for future discoveries in biophysics,” said Vasanthi Jayaraman, Editor-in-Chief. “We congratulate Dr. Goldschen-Ohm for his research and how it opens new pathways to understanding receptor function and the potential it has to lead to new advancements in treatment for neurological disorders.”

The Biophysical Journal is the Biophysical Society’s flagship journal which was first published in 1960 and has been published in partnership with Cell Press since 2009. The journal spans a wide range of subjects and disciplines that provide quantitative insight into fundamental problems at the molecular, cellular, systems, and whole-organism levels.

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The Biophysical Society, founded in 1958, is a professional, scientific Society established to lead development and dissemination of knowledge in biophysics. The Society promotes growth in this expanding field through its annual meeting, publications, and committee and outreach activities. Its 7,000 members are located throughout the United States and the world, where they teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, laboratories, government agencies, and industry.