Lori L. Isom

Dr. Lori L. Isom is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is a renowned neuroscientist and sodium channel biologist who established the Isom Lab in 1995 to study gene variants linked to developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, particularly Dravet syndrome, and their role in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Her research integrates genetics, molecular biology, and electrophysiology to investigate voltage-gated sodium channel dysfunction in neurological and cardiovascular systems. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell models and transgenic animals, her work aims to uncover therapeutic targets and SUDEP risk biomarkers.

• 2023 Basic Science Award, American Epilepsy Society
• National Academy of Medicine membership (2022)

The Isom Lab actively mentors PhD and undergraduate students across programs like Pharmacology, Neuroscience, and Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Her team employs advanced techniques such as confocal imaging, electrophysiology, and molecular biology to bridge brain-heart arrhythmia mechanisms in SUDEP.

She is also a dedicated mentor and contributor to Michigan Medicine's research training programs.