Reno Reporter

A University of Nevada, Reno, professor was asked to join his peers in examining how people react to, detect and process light and sound, temperature, pressure and other environmental cues.

According to Nevada Today, Scott Earley, professor of pharmacology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, was asked by Physiological Reviews to be involved in this process.

Earley’s ion-channel studies have led to scientific breakthroughs, and he coauthored "The Physiological Sensor Channels TRP and Piezo: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021" with Fernando Santana from the University of California, Davis, and Jonathan Lederer from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Science has evolved to a new understanding at the cellular level of ion channels, which have contributed to important advances, including the development of new and effective drugs.

“Many outstanding scientists study ion channels, and it’s important to commemorate the field as a whole with the award and to have the work recognized in this way. It was quite an honor to be asked to write this,” Earley told Nevada Today.

The university reported that Earley has built on work by David Julius of the University of California, San Francisco, and Ardem Patapoutian of Scripps Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, who were awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on Alzheimer’s disease.

“Basic science discoveries like this ultimately impact treatment strategies and help people maintain quality of life,” Earley told Nevada Today.