Theodore Cummins

Theodore Cummins, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology at Indiana University's School of Science. His research focuses on ion channel biology and their roles in neurological and muscle disorders such as epilepsy, pain, and cardiac arrhythmias. He holds office at EL 204 and can be reached at trcummin@iu.edu.

Education: B.A. in Chemistry (Swarthmore College, 1983), M.S. in Biomedical Engineering (Hartford Graduate Center, 1985), Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Yale University, 1996), and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neurological Surgery (Yale University, 1998).

Research interests include ion channel dysfunction in disease, drug discovery using toxins and cannabinoids, and cellular techniques such as electrophysiology, molecular biology, and computer modeling. His lab explores how ion channel modulation could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for channelopathies.

Publications highlight advancements in understanding sodium channel regulation in cardiac and neural contexts, with notable work on cannabidiol’s antiepileptic effects and evolutionary pain resistance mechanisms in grasshopper mice.

Lab activities involve interdisciplinary approaches to study ion channel physiology, including collaborations on stem cell models for glaucoma research and inflammation-driven pain mechanisms.