Francesco Tombola

Francesco Tombola, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine. He also serves as Associate Dean for Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.

• Research focuses on voltage-gated proton channels (Hv1) and their inhibition via molecular dynamics simulations
• Key areas: Membrane biophysics, ion channel pharmacology, and computational modeling of channel blockers
• Active grants include NIH R01 GM098973 for Hv1 channel research

His work elucidates Hv1's role in pH homeostasis, phagocyte respiratory bursts, and disease pathologies like inflammatory conditions and cancer. Recent studies examine thermodynamics of channel blocker permeation and allosteric modulation mechanisms.

Selected publications highlight collaborations on:

• 2024 PNAS study on Hv1 proton conduction selectivity
• 2023 J Neurochem analysis of microglial reprogramming via Hv1 antagonism
• 2021/2020 structural models of Hv1 from molecular simulations
• 2014-2015 investigations of channel inhibition mechanisms