2026
Check our latest publication:
Bell B, Jaramillo-Granada AM, Orlin DJ, Weng WH, Wen H, Sotomayor M, Chesler AT, Baker ML, Cordero-Morales JF, Vásquez V. Structures of invertebrate PEZO-1 isoforms with a compact architecture and a dispensable pore-distal N-terminal blade. Cell Reports. 2025 Dec 31;45(1):116878. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116878. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41477764.
Bell B, Jaramillo-Granada AM, Orlin DJ, Weng WH, Wen H, Sotomayor M, Chesler AT, Baker ML, Cordero-Morales JF, Vásquez V. Structures of invertebrate PEZO-1 isoforms with a compact architecture and a dispensable pore-distal N-terminal blade. Cell Reports. 2025 Dec 31;45(1):116878. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116878. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41477764.
Dr. Briar Bell received the T32 fellowship award from the Houston Area Incubator for Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Research.
2025
Check out our latest publications:
Romero LO, Bade M, Carrillo E, Paz-López S, Hasan SAM, Antonisamy WJ, Jayaraman V, Shah ZA, Vásquez V, and Cordero-Morales JF. 2025. Cofilin inhibition ameliorates PIEZO2 and AMPA dysfunction in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome. Journal of Neuroscience. 9 October, e0965252025; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0965-25.2025
Our paper was featured in the Journal of Neuroscience “This Week in the Journal”.
Romero LO, Bade M, Elsherif L, Williams JD, Kong X, Adebiyi A, Ataga KI, Ma S, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2025. Enhanced PIEZO1 Function Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Sickle Cell Disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Oct 7;122(40):e2514863122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2514863122. Epub 2025 Oct 2. PMID: 41037639.
Romero LO, Bade M, Carrillo E, Paz-López S, Hasan SAM, Antonisamy WJ, Jayaraman V, Shah ZA, Vásquez V, and Cordero-Morales JF. 2025. Cofilin inhibition ameliorates PIEZO2 and AMPA dysfunction in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome. Journal of Neuroscience. 9 October, e0965252025; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0965-25.2025
Our paper was featured in the Journal of Neuroscience “This Week in the Journal”.
Romero LO, Bade M, Elsherif L, Williams JD, Kong X, Adebiyi A, Ataga KI, Ma S, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2025. Enhanced PIEZO1 Function Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Sickle Cell Disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Oct 7;122(40):e2514863122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2514863122. Epub 2025 Oct 2. PMID: 41037639.
Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales was promoted to full Professor as of September 1, 2025!!!
2024
Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales was recognized as an Inspiring Scientist by the Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists. The Atlas is a grassroots effort developed to showcase the expertise, talents, and diversity of Hispanic and Latinx scientific faculty, developed, created, and led by the following scientists: Christina Termini, JP Flores, Doris Cruz Alonso, Carolina Gomez Casas, and Crystal Dezha-Bolteada.
Briar Bell (July 2024) and Luis O. Romero (May 2024) have successfully completed their PhD programs in Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Congratulation Doctors!
Dr. Valeria Vásquez was awarded with a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA, R35) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, from 07/2024 to 06/2029, to study "Mechanosensitive Ion Channels Modulation by Membrane Composition".
Briar Bell and Luis O. Romero received 1st and 2nd Place Awards, respectively, for their Oral Presentations at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Retreat.
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration with Dr. Jonatahn Jaggar at the University of Tennessee:
Garrud TAC, Bell B, Mata-Daboin A, Peixoto-Neves D, Collier DM, Cordero-Morales JF, Jaggar JH. 2024. WNK kinase is a vasoactive chloride sensor in endothelial cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Apr 9;121(15):e2322135121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2322135121. Epub 2024 Apr 3. PMID: 38568964.
Garrud TAC, Bell B, Mata-Daboin A, Peixoto-Neves D, Collier DM, Cordero-Morales JF, Jaggar JH. 2024. WNK kinase is a vasoactive chloride sensor in endothelial cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Apr 9;121(15):e2322135121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2322135121. Epub 2024 Apr 3. PMID: 38568964.
Luis O. Romero passed his Ph.D. thesis presentation on Monday March 25th!
Congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Romero
Congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Romero
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration with Dr. Xiaofei Bai at the University of Florida:
Bai X, Smith HE, Romero LO, Bell B, Vásquez V, Golden A. 2024. A mutation in F-actin polymerization factor suppresses the distal arthrogryposis type 5 PIEZO2 pathogenic variant in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development. Feb 15;151(4):dev202214. doi: 10.1242/dev.202214. Epub 2024 Feb 13. PMID: 38349741.
Bai X, Smith HE, Romero LO, Bell B, Vásquez V, Golden A. 2024. A mutation in F-actin polymerization factor suppresses the distal arthrogryposis type 5 PIEZO2 pathogenic variant in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development. Feb 15;151(4):dev202214. doi: 10.1242/dev.202214. Epub 2024 Feb 13. PMID: 38349741.
Cover image: Wes Maddox and Josue Lopez.
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration with Dr. Amy Lee's group at the University of Texas at Austin, which made the Cover!!!
Lopez JA, Romero LO, Kaung WL, Maddox JW, Vásquez V, Lee A. Caldendrin Is a Repressor of PIEZO2 Channels and Touch Sensation in Mice. Journal of Neuroscience. 2024 Mar 6;44(10):e1402232023. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1402-23.2023. PMID: 38262725; PMCID: PMC10919251.
2023
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Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales at the Inaugural Basic Sciences Symposium Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, University of California Davis. Sacramento. October 2023.
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The Cordero Vásquez Research Group moved to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas Health Science Center on September 1st, 2023.
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Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales was awarded with a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA, R35) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, from 04/2023 to 03/2028, to study "Sensory Ion Channel Modulation by Bioactive Lipids".
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration between the research groups of Dr. Bai and Dr. Vásquez:
Bai X, Smith HE, Romero LO, Bell B, Vásquez V, Golden A. 2023. Mutation in F-actin Polymerization Factor Suppresses Distal Arthrogryposis Type 5 (DA5) PIEZO2 Pathogenic Variant in Caenorhabditis elegans. bioRxiv 2023.07.24.550416; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.24.550416
Bai X, Smith HE, Romero LO, Bell B, Vásquez V, Golden A. 2023. Mutation in F-actin Polymerization Factor Suppresses Distal Arthrogryposis Type 5 (DA5) PIEZO2 Pathogenic Variant in Caenorhabditis elegans. bioRxiv 2023.07.24.550416; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.24.550416
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration between our research group and the groups of Larry T. Reiter, Ugo Mayor, Anatomic Incorporated, and our former Postdoc Pako Javier Sierra-Valdez:
Romero LO, Caires R, Victor AK, Ramirez J, Sierra-Valdez FJ, Walsh P, Truong V, Lee J, Mayor U, Reiter LT, Vásquez V, Cordero-Morales JF. 2023. Linoleic acid improves PIEZO2 dysfunction in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome. Nature Communications 14, 1167. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36818-0.
Romero LO, Caires R, Victor AK, Ramirez J, Sierra-Valdez FJ, Walsh P, Truong V, Lee J, Mayor U, Reiter LT, Vásquez V, Cordero-Morales JF. 2023. Linoleic acid improves PIEZO2 dysfunction in a mouse model of Angelman Syndrome. Nature Communications 14, 1167. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36818-0.
Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales and Dr. Valeria Vásquez were awarded with an R01 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to study the role of sensory receptors in Angelman syndrome, from 02/15/2023 - 01/31/2028.
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration between the research groups of Dr. Patapoutian, Dr. Wilkinson, Dr. Chesler, and Dr. Vásquez:
Ma S, Dubin A.E., Romero L.O., Loud M., Salazar A., Chu, S., Klier, N., Masri S., Zhang, Y., Wang Y, Chesler A.T., Wilkinson K., Vásquez V, Marshall K.S., Patapoutian A. 2023. Excessive mechanotransduction in sensory neurons causes joint contractures. Science. 379 (6628): 201-206. doi: 10.1126/science.add3598. [Covered by “Perspective” in Science].
Ma S, Dubin A.E., Romero L.O., Loud M., Salazar A., Chu, S., Klier, N., Masri S., Zhang, Y., Wang Y, Chesler A.T., Wilkinson K., Vásquez V, Marshall K.S., Patapoutian A. 2023. Excessive mechanotransduction in sensory neurons causes joint contractures. Science. 379 (6628): 201-206. doi: 10.1126/science.add3598. [Covered by “Perspective” in Science].
Our graduate student Luis O. Romero was profiled by The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Magazine. Check the profile here.
2022
Our paper "Genetic- and diet-induced w-3 fatty acid enrichment enhances TRPV4-mediated vasodilation in mice" By Rebeca Caires et al. in Cell Reports made the Journal Cover!!!
The painting was made by Rebeca in watercolor on cold-pressed paper.
The painting was made by Rebeca in watercolor on cold-pressed paper.
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Dr. Tanbir Ahammad was awarded with the 2022 Postdoctoral Matching Salary Support from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC.
Graduate Students Briar Bell and Luis Romero were awarded with the CGHS Travel Awards/John Autian Student Enrichment Fund to present at the 66th annual meeting of Biophysical Society in San Francisco, CA which is scheduled to take place February 19-23, 2022.
2021
Graduate Student Briar Bell was awarded with the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Department of Physiology at UTHSC, December 2021.
Graduate Student Briar Bell has been selected as a recipient of a 2022 Travel Award to present his abstract at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting.
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Graduate Student Luis O. Romero received the 2021 College of Graduate Health Sciences Cell Biology & Physiology Track Outstanding Student and the Lee & Jennie Beaumont Endowment Awards.
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Our newest Journal of General Physiology paper "C. elegans PEZO-1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel involved in food sensation" (Millet et al.) was highlighted at JGP Research News: Worms find PEZO-1’s function easy to swallow.
Dr. Jungsoo Lee was awarded with the 2021 Research Scholar Matching Salary Support from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC. March 2021 - February 2022.
Dr. Valeria Vásquez, in collaboration with Dr. Alexander Chesler, was awarded a grant from the NIH Bench-to-Bedside and Back Program (2021-2023)
2020
Check out our newest paper:
Caires R, Bell B, Lee J, Romero LO, Vásquez V*, Cordero-Morales JF*. 2020. Deficiency of inositol monophosphatase activity decreases phosphoinositide lipids and enhances TRPV1 function in vivo. Journal of Neuroscience 25 November 2020, JN-RM-0803-2. *Corresponding authors.
Caires R, Bell B, Lee J, Romero LO, Vásquez V*, Cordero-Morales JF*. 2020. Deficiency of inositol monophosphatase activity decreases phosphoinositide lipids and enhances TRPV1 function in vivo. Journal of Neuroscience 25 November 2020, JN-RM-0803-2. *Corresponding authors.
Dr. Valeria Vásquez was named among the top 100 inspiring Hispanic-Latinx scientists in America by Cell Mentor. Cell Mentor, an online resource from Cell Press and Cell Signaling Technology, selected the 100 scientists “based on scholarly achievements, mentoring excellence, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion” in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Please click here to see the UTHSC news release.
Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales was awarded with an R21 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), from 07/2020 to 6/2022.
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Dr. Valeria Vásquez, in collaboration with Dr. Avi Priel, was awarded a grant from the United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), from 2020-2024.
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Dr. Cordero-Vásquez and Dr. Vásquez were awarded with the Neuroscience Research Support Grant from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC (March 2020-February 2021).
Graduate Student Luis Romero was appointed for three years (2020-2023) as a member of the Education Committee of the Biophysical Society.
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration between the research groups of Dr. Chesler, Dr. Cordero-Morales and Dr. Vásquez:
Romero LO, Caires R, Nickolls A, Chesler AT, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2020. A dietary fatty acid counteracts neuronal mechanical sensitization. Nature Communications 11, 2997 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16816-2.
Romero LO, Caires R, Nickolls A, Chesler AT, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2020. A dietary fatty acid counteracts neuronal mechanical sensitization. Nature Communications 11, 2997 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16816-2.
Graduate Student Luis Romero was awarded with the CGHS Travel Awards/John Autian Student Enrichment Fund to present at the 64th annual meeting of Biophysical Society in San Diego, CA which is scheduled to take place February 15-19, 2020.
Graduate Student Luis Romero was awarded with the 2020 Belz Family Scholarship Endowment Fund. This Scholarship is awarded to incoming students based on scholastic ability, leadership potential, and dedication to the health sciences as a career and profession.
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Dr. Jungsoo Lee was awarded with the 2020 Research Scholar Matching Salary Support from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC. January 2020 - December 2020.
Graduate Student Briar Bell won the J. Paul Quigley Memorial Scholarship from the Department of Physiology.
Luis Romero won the best student Presentation Award at the Physiology Department Retreat held at the Memphis Botanic Garden, Memphis, November 14th 2019.
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Dr. Valeria Vásquez to receive the 2020 Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society.
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2019
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Dr. Valeria Vásquez was awarded with an R01 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, from 08/2019 to 07/2024.
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2018
Check out Dr. Vásquez' group latest paper:
Romero LO, Massey AE, Mata-Daboin AD, Sierra-Valdez FJ, Chauhan SC, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2018. Dietary fatty acids fine-tune Piezo1 mechanical response. Nature Communications. Mar 13;10(1):1200.
Romero LO, Massey AE, Mata-Daboin AD, Sierra-Valdez FJ, Chauhan SC, Cordero-Morales JF, and Vásquez V. 2018. Dietary fatty acids fine-tune Piezo1 mechanical response. Nature Communications. Mar 13;10(1):1200.
Dr. Rebeca Caires was awarded with the 2018 Postdoctoral Matching Salary Support from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC.
Check out our latest paper, a collaboration between the research groups of Dr. Faraldo-Gómez, Dr. Priel, and Dr. Vásquez:
Geron M, Kumar R, Zhou W, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Vásquez V*, and Priel A*. 2018. TRPV1 pore turret dictates distinct DkTx and capsaicin gating. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published ahead of print November 21, 2018. *Corresponding authors.
Geron M, Kumar R, Zhou W, Faraldo-Gómez JD, Vásquez V*, and Priel A*. 2018. TRPV1 pore turret dictates distinct DkTx and capsaicin gating. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Published ahead of print November 21, 2018. *Corresponding authors.
Our Research Assistant Luis O Romero received a Travel Award to assist to the 72nd Annual Symposium of the Society of General Physiologists in Woods Hole, MA.
Check out Dr. Cordero-Morales' group latest paper:
Sierra-Valdez F, Azumaya CM, Romero LO, Nakagawa T*, Cordero-Morales JF. 2018. Structure-function analyses of the ion channel TRPC3 reveal that its cytoplasmic domain allosterically modulates channel gating. Journal of Biological Chemistry. *Corresponding authors.
Sierra-Valdez F, Azumaya CM, Romero LO, Nakagawa T*, Cordero-Morales JF. 2018. Structure-function analyses of the ion channel TRPC3 reveal that its cytoplasmic domain allosterically modulates channel gating. Journal of Biological Chemistry. *Corresponding authors.
Check out Dr. Cordero-Morales' group latest paper:
Azumaya CM, Sierra-Valdez F, Cordero-Morales JF*, Nakagawa T*. 2018. Cryo-EM structure of the cytoplasmic domain of murine transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6 (TRPC6). Journal of Biological Chemistry. *Corresponding authors.
Azumaya CM, Sierra-Valdez F, Cordero-Morales JF*, Nakagawa T*. 2018. Cryo-EM structure of the cytoplasmic domain of murine transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6 (TRPC6). Journal of Biological Chemistry. *Corresponding authors.
Check out our latest opinion:
Cordero-Morales, JF and Vásquez, V. 2018 How lipids contribute to ion channel function, a fat perspective on direct and indirect interactions. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 51:1–7.
Cordero-Morales, JF and Vásquez, V. 2018 How lipids contribute to ion channel function, a fat perspective on direct and indirect interactions. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 51:1–7.
Dr. Rebeca Caires was awarded with the 2018 Postdoctoral Matching Salary Support from the Neuroscience Institute at UTHSC.
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Dr. Julio Cordero-Morales was awarded with an RO1 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, from 01/2018 to 12/2022.
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2017
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Check out our newest paper:
Caires R, Sierra-Valdez F, Millet JRM, Herwig JD, Roan E, Vásquez V*, Cordero-Morales JF*. 2017. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Modulate TRPV4 Function Through Plasma Membrane Remodeling. Cell Reports, 21: 246-258. *Corresponding authors. |
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Check out Dr. Cordero-Morales latest paper:
Velisetty P, Stein R, Sierra-Valdez F, Vásquez V, Cordero-Morales JF. 2017. Expression and Purification of the Pain Receptor TRPV1 for Spectroscopic Analysis. Scientific Reports. 7: 9861.
Velisetty P, Stein R, Sierra-Valdez F, Vásquez V, Cordero-Morales JF. 2017. Expression and Purification of the Pain Receptor TRPV1 for Spectroscopic Analysis. Scientific Reports. 7: 9861.
2016
Dr. Francisco Sierra was awarded with a Fellowship (2016-2018) from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, México).
Dr. Valeria Vásquez was profiled in the Biophysical Society Newsletter. Check her profile here.
The CV Lab, in collaboration with Dr. Avi Priel, was awarded a start-up grant from the United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), from 2016-2018.
2015
Dr. Valeria Vásquez was awarded with the Eicosanoid Research Foundation
"Young Investigator" Award, at the 14th International Bioactive Lipids Conference in
Budapest, Hungary – July 12 - 15, 2015
"Young Investigator" Award, at the 14th International Bioactive Lipids Conference in
Budapest, Hungary – July 12 - 15, 2015
