Dr. Wenxin Felix Zhu
Research topic
Modulation of the sperm-specific Ion Channel CatSper for the Investigation of Male Fertility
I studied chemistry at the Goethe University Frankfurt, followed by my doctoral studies in Prof. Eugen Proschak’s group at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. As a doctoral candidate, I was part of an interdisciplinary team that discovered the first selective activators of the sodium-activated potassium channel Slack.
Afterwards, I joined ChemBion as a postdoctoral research associate, where I continue to work on ion channel modulators. My research focuses on the development of photoactivatable tool compounds to study the pharmacology of CatSper - a sperm-specific ion channel that is essential for male fertility. In the female reproductive tract, CatSper is activated by steroids and prostaglandins, an indispensable step in the cascade of physiological processes that enable a sperm cell to penetrate and fertilize an egg cell. As a result, male patients with defective CatSper channels are infertile.
The exact mechanisms of CatSper modulation by steroids and prostaglandins are not fully understood. Our goal is to investigate these pharmacological mechanisms, which may provide new insights for the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility. To this end, we develop photoactivatable CatSper ligands, which allow precise spatiotemporal control over their pharmacological effects.
Kontakt
PharmaCampus der Universität Münster
Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie
Corrensstraße 48
48149 Münster
Tel.: +49(0)251-83-33355
Raum: B.130-310