Ayman K. Hamouda was Instructor in Neurobiology(2009-2013) in Harvard Medical School. He did his Research Fellow in Neurobiology (2007-2009) from Harvard Medical School. He completed his Ph.D.(2007) in Pharmacology and Neuroscience from Texas Tech University Health Science Center. He has also worked as a Laboratory Instructor (1998-2002) in Al-Azhar University, Palestine. He has done his graduation in B.Pharm. (1998) from College of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Palestine.

The research in Dr. Hamouda’s laboratory primarily focuses on the structure, functions and pharmacology of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Dr. Hamouda’s combines radioligand-binding, in vitro electrophysiological recording, Site-directed mutagenesis, protein expression and purification, Photoaffinity labeling and computational analyses to understand how neuronal nAChR subtypes differ with regard to their pharmacology, to identify novel drug binding sites that are unique to a nAChR subtype and to develop nAChR subtype-selective ligands with potential experimental and clinical applications. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are a heterogeneous group of acetylcholine-gated ion channels that are expressed at the motor end plate of neuromuscular junction (muscle-type nAChR) and at the postsynaptic and presynaptic nerve terminals throughout the nervous system (neuronal-type nAChR). Postsynaptic nAChR mediate intracellular communication by converting a chemical signal (ACh release) from the presynaptic nerve ending into an electrical event (transmembrane ion flux) in the postsynaptic neuron or muscle fiber. Whereas presynaptic nAChRs modulate the release of neurotransmitters including GABA, glutamate and dopamine. Brain nAChRs are important for neuronal survival and for maintenance of cognitive performance and learning during aging and implicated in the pathophysiology of many cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s diseases as well as in nicotine addiction (cigarette smoking). Since drugs that enhance brain cholinergic system would be very beneficial for the treatment of these conditions, selective targeting of brain nAChRs is a long-standing goal of neuropharmacology research.