Ruhma Syeda, Ph.D.

Dr. Syeda’s research focuses on the physiological and pathophysiological roles of ion channel gating, particularly in the context of human health and disease. Her lab currently investigates PIEZO-dependent mechanotransduction, with three core research areas: (i) structure–function analysis of PIEZO ion channels, (ii) understanding how PIEZO-mediated mechanosensing governs normal cellular physiology, and (iii) investigating pathophysiology and channelopathies by expanding the phenotypic spectrum of PIEZO-related disorders.

Dr. Syeda and her team have made significant contributions across all three areas, as reflected in high-impact, peer-reviewed publications. Their work continues to push the boundaries of mechanobiology and molecular neuroscience, uncovering mechanisms by which cells interpret and respond to mechanical stimuli—such as pressure, tension, and shear stress—with broad implications for future therapeutic innovation. The lab uses a wide range of techniques such as electrophysiology, single channel and macroscopic cellular assays, high throughput screening, and advance imaging to understand PIEZO dependent mechanotransduction.

Dr. Syeda has received interdisciplinary training in chemical biology, molecular neuroscience, and biophysics. Her longstanding interest in membrane biology and ion channels began during her B.Sc. in Chemistry and M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry at the University of Karachi. As a Clarendon Scholar, she earned her D.Phil. in Chemical Biology under the mentorship of Professor Hagan Bayley at the University of Oxford. During her graduate studies, she developed a novel system—droplet interface bilayers—to express membrane proteins using cell-free transcription/translation inside nanoliter droplets. This innovative platform enabled rapid screening of ion channel blockers, as demonstrated in studies on a viral potassium channel, and earned her the Eli Lilly Award for excellence in the first year of postgraduate study.

As a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Mauricio Montal’s lab at UC San Diego, she further advanced the droplet bilayer platform to investigate how neuronal potassium channels sense voltage, and how their gating is modulated by membrane lipids, anti-epileptic drugs, and neurotoxins. Later, as a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Ardem Patapoutian at The Scripps Research Institute, Dr. Syeda characterized two key ion channels: PIEZO, a mechanosensitive cation channel, and Swell1, a volume-regulated anion channel.

Her significant contribution established that PIEZO proteins are bona fide ion channels, directly gated by mechanical forces and chemically modulated by Yoda1—a small molecule discovered through a high-throughput screen of ~3 million compounds. These findings were cited in the 2021 Nobel Prize Scientific Background for the discovery of receptors for temperature and mechanical stimuli (TRP and PIEZO channels).