IonLab: An Electrophysiology Core Facility
Speaker:
Soomin C. Song, Ph.D.
Operations Manager, Ion Laboratory (IonLab)
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Abstract:
The Ion Laboratory (IonLab) is a shared electrophysiology core facility serving NYU Langone investi-gators, as well as other academic and industry collaborators. Established within the Ion Channels and Transporters in Immunity (ICTI) Research Program directed by Stefan Feske, MD, IonLab supports research aimed at understanding ion channel and transporter function in health and disease. The facility offers a wide range of services and instrumentation, including manual and automated patch-clamp systems for recordings in cultured cells and tissue slices, fluorescence-based assays using the FlexStation 3 microplate reader, and specialized equipment for measuring electrogenic transporter activity, osmolarity, and ion concentrations. IonLab’s expertise extends to cell volume analysis, intracellular Ca²⁺ measurements, and thallium flux assays as indicators of K⁺ channel activity. Users may conduct experiments independently following training (“self-use”) or utilize full-service support provided by IonLab staff (“fee-for-service”). IonLab has collaborated on projects across NYU’s campuses and with external partners, including the University of Minnesota and several industry groups, providing electrophysiological and biophysical support to the broader research community.
Dr. Soomin C. Song earned his B.S. in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Cognitive Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Biology, with a concentration in Neurobiology, at the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2016, where his research focused on the ionic mechanisms underlying neuronal excitability and resonance in striatal interneurons. Following his doctorate, Dr. Song pursued postdoctoral training at NYU Langone Health with Dr. Nicolas X. Tritsch and Dr. Robert C. Froemke, investigating the synaptic and circuit mechanisms of behavior through optogenetics, calcium imaging, and in vitro electrophysiology. In 2021, he joined NYU Langone’s Department of Pathology as Research Assistant Professor and Operations Manager of the Ion Laboratory (IonLab), where he oversees advanced electrophysiological services and supports investigators studying ion channels, transporters, and cellular function across a wide range of biomedical contexts.
