Contributors

Neuroscientist Jerold Chun has studied brain development at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. since 2003. In "How the lysophospholipid got its receptor", Chun tells the story of how his research group, in the search for genes that are activated in the embryonic brain, stumbled upon a new receptor and answered questions that had lipidologists stumped for years. "We didn't come from the lipid field and didn't understand many of the nuances of this discipline," Chun says. It was a surprising and interesting direction to take, he says, because "there weren't actually any reports of these lipids doing anything in the developing brain." Chun's lab is part of the Helen L. Dorris Child and Adolescent Neuro-Psychiatric Disorder Institute, and their work has been supported by several branches of the NIH, including the NIMH, NINDS, NICHD and NIDA.