Thomas Whitson on People.KU.edu

Thomas Whitson is currently employed full-time in the lab of Dr. Rick Dobrowsky, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. During the Spring 2009 semester Thomas was enrolled in a Biology 424 Independent Study experience in this lab.

Current work in the Dobrowsky lab focuses on diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Thomas's contribution to the lab's work has included quantification of unmyelinated C-fibers in the epidermis of streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ) and genetically altered (KO) mice as well as morphological analysis of the myelination levels of sciatic nerve fibers in KO mice.

Thomas has recently begun a new and exciting project in the lab, attempting to selectively stain for and localize specific receptor molecules in the peripheral nerve axons of STZ mice. Determining the precise location of these receptors will facilitate further research into these proteins' roles in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.