Michael Bannon

Professor Michael Bannon chairs research in the Department of Pharmacology at Wayne State University School of Medicine. His laboratory investigates cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating gene expression in dopamine neurons, with applications in Parkinson's disease and substance abuse disorders. His pioneering work identified subpopulation-specific differences in midbrain dopamine neurons and established regulatory principles for dopamine transporter gene expression.

Research spans five interconnected domains: dopamine neuron physiology, tachykinin neuropeptide systems, dopamine transporter regulation, Parkinson's disease gene therapy using NTS-polyplex nanoparticle systems, and molecular adaptations in human addiction. Current projects focus on glial activation patterns in opioid-related deaths and neurotrophic factor delivery strategies.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on molecular psychiatry themes, particularly epigenetic regulation in addiction and neuroprotective gene therapies. Recent advances include single-nuclei transcriptomics of postmortem brain tissue and engineered nanoparticle systems for targeted gene delivery.

• Authored seminal papers on dopamine transporter regulation (>100 citations)
• Developed neurotensin-polyplex system for targeted gene therapy in Parkinson's models

Teaches graduate courses in Neuropharmacology and Recent Developments in Pharmacology. Trained at Yale University (PhD) and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Cambridge University and NIMH.