At the invitation of Dr. Ren Lai of the Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms (AMHD), Dr. Jie ZHENG, professor of Physiology and Membrane Biology at the University of California Davis School of Medicine paid a visit to the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (KIZ, CAS) on July 2, 2012 to deliver a lecture on “Temperature-sensing ion channels.”

Both students and staff were invited to listen to Dr. ZHENG discuss some highlights of his research, in particular discovery of the critical domain of temperature-sensitive ion channels (TRPV) channel which plays a strong role in how biological systems perceive and experience changes in temperature. Afterward, the Dr. ZHENG led a lively forum, inviting the audience to ask question and discuss their ideas regarding his research and current projects at KIZ.

Professor ZHENG’s research has focused on the relationship between the structure and function of ion channels has been working on ion channel gating mechanisms, publishing over 30 scientific papers in SCI journals including Neuron, Nature Structural, Cell Research and JBC.