Dr. Zastrow’s goal of research is to understand how signaling receptors and receptor-linked signaling cascades are organized and regulated in mammalian cells. His main focus is on regulated membrane trafficking processes that localize receptors, and on understanding how these processes impact pathology and clinically relevant aspects of drug action. His team is most interested in receptor trafficking and signaling processes that occur in neurons, and on pathological processes related to brain and behavior disorders. Their studies use a combination of biochemical, molecular biological and live-cell imaging methods.

Dr. von Zastrow received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University. He did postdoctoral training as a psychiatry resident and research fellow at Stanford University prior to joining UCSF.