• portrait of Henry A. Dunn
  • Assistant professor

    Max Rady College of Medicine
    Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics
    University of Manitoba

    Room R4052 – 351 Tache Avenue
    St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre
    Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 2A6
    Office: 204-258-1357
    Lab: 204-235-3949 
    henry.dunn@umanitoba.ca

Research summary


Dr. Henry A. Dunn’s research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease with the goal of facilitating the development of novel therapeutic strategies for a myriad of neurological conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and epilepsy.

With a prominent focus and expertise on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their associated signalling pathways – the pharmaceutical target of over 35% of FDA-approved drugs – Dr. Dunn’s lab utilizes multidisciplinary approaches spanning molecular mechanisms to rodent models, including: molecular pharmacology, biochemistry, cellular & molecular neurobiology, bioinformatics and behavioural neuroscience.

  • Research themes

    • Biochemistry
    • Molecular pharmacology
    • Cellular and molecular neurobiology
    • Behavioural neuroscience
    • Bioinformatics
  • Research interests

    • Neuropsychiatric disease
    • Neurodevelopmental disease
    • Neurodegenerative disease
  • Keywords

    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)
    Synaptic adhesion molecules
    Trans-synaptic interactions
    Intracellular signalling

  • Research affiliations

    • Principal investigator, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre

Biography

Dr. Henry A. Dunn is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, and a principal investigator at St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre where he leads the Molecular Pharmacology and Neuropsychiatric Disease Lab.

Dr. Dunn is best known for his work on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): particularly, delineating molecular mechanisms of stress-induced anxiety and depression, and illuminating a novel trans-synaptic pharmacological regulation mechanism with relevance to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and epilepsy.

These seminal studies have led to a keen interest in the interplay between synaptic adhesion molecules and synaptic GPCRs, including: (1) how these relationships are utilized in synaptic connectivity, neurotransmission and intracellular signalling, and (2) how these interfaces can be exploited for novel drug design in neuropsychiatric disease.

Education and training

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (Neuroscience), The Scripps Research Institute (2022)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (Cellular & Molecular Medicine), University of Ottawa (2016)
  • PhD (Physiology), University of Western Ontario (2014)
  • BMSc (Medical Science and Physiology), University of Western Ontario (2008)

 

Awards

  • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016-2020)
  • Jonathan and Joshua Memorial Graduate Scholarship: Mental Health Research (2013-2014)
  • Jonathan and Joshua Memorial Graduate Scholarship: Mental Health Research (2012-2013)
  • Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Strategic Training Fellowship (2009-2011)

Contact us

Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Max Rady College of Medicine
A205 Chown Bldg., 753 McDermot Avenue
University of Manitoba (Bannatyne campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0T6 Canada

204-789-3553