Andres Villu Maricq MD, PhD

Andres Villu Maricq, M.D., Ph.D. is the Founding Director of the Center for Cell and Genome Science and Professor of Neurobiology at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. His research explores the molecular machinery that contributes to the information-processing capabilities of the nervous system, with a focus on the regulation and function of synaptic transmission. He uses an interdisciplinary approach to address research questions, drawing upon his training and experience in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, electrophysiology, biophysics, and genetics. He has decades-long experience in the teaching, training, and mentoring of students and postdoctoral fellows. They have focused on the molecular machinery that contributes to the establishment and function of synapses in the model organism C. elegans. In studies of glutamatergic synapses, they have identified evolutionarily conserved auxiliary proteins that contribute to the function of AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPARs), leading to a new concept of an AMPAR signaling complex. They also study the trafficking and transport of AMPARs and have found that kinesin-1 microtubule-dependent motors and a Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaMKII) have fundamental roles in the delivery, removal, and redistribution of synaptic AMPARs. Additionally, they study the properties of NMDA and kainate receptors and their contribution to synaptic function and the control of behavior. They are now fascinated by the question of how synaptic transmission changes with aging and synaptopathy might be common to many neurodegenerative disorders. They find that synaptic function and transport of synaptic AMPAR decreases with aging as well as in transgenic models of Alzheimer’s disease. In summary, our research is driven by two major goals: first, to obtain a mechanistic, soup-to-nuts understanding of how synapses are built, how synapses contribute to information processing by neural circuits, and ultimately how synapses and neural circuits give rise to complex behaviors, including learning and memory; second, to obtain a molecular-based understanding of how synaptic function changes during aging and in neurodegenerative disorders.