Prof. (Emeritus) Bernard Attali

Prof. Bernard Attali is Professor Emeritus whose research focuses on normal and diseased potassium channels in the human brain and heart.

He earned his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science and earlier degrees in pharmacy and physical chemistry from Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France.

The primary goal of his research is to achieve a molecular-level understanding of the mechanisms by which changes in membrane potential regulate cellular events.

His work concentrates on potassium channels due to their critical roles in numerous cellular functions, including shaping cardiac and neuronal action potentials, tuning neuronal firing patterns, synaptic integration, and modulating neurotransmitter release.

By combining molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, and electrophysiology, his research seeks to elucidate the structural, biophysical, and physiological properties of potassium channels in the human brain and heart, as well as how channel mutations lead to major neurological and cardiovascular disorders such as epilepsy, myokymia, and atrial or ventricular fibrillation.