Update Your ProfileAcademic Title:
Post Doc Fellow
Primary Appointment:
Pharmacology & Physiology
Location:
Howard Hall room 503, 660 West Redwood St.
Education and Training
I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (2020–2024) under the mentorship of Drs. Martin Schneider and Erick Hernandez-Ochoa. My doctoral research focused on characterizing the molecular and biophysical properties of the skeletal muscle voltage-gated calcium channel CaV1.1 (dihydropyridine receptor, DHPR), which plays a central role in excitation–contraction coupling. Mutations in this channel are associated with disorders such as hypokalemic and normokalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia susceptibility, myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), and congenital myopathy (CMYO18).
Since May 2025, I have been a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Matthew Trudeau’s laboratory at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. My current research investigates the molecular conformational rearrangements of voltage-gated potassium and calcium channels and their contributions to inherited cardiac arrhythmias, including Long QT and Short QT syndromes.
Research/Clinical Keywords
Channelopathies, Ion channel, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, heart, EC-coupling, CaV, Kv, NaV, voltage clamp
Highlighted Publications
Bibollet H, Kramer A, Bannister RA, Hernández-Ochoa EO. Advances in Ca(V)1.1 gating: New insights into permeation and voltage-sensing mechanisms. Channels (Austin). 2023 Dec;17(1):2167569. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9851209.
Bibollet H, Bennett DF, Schneider MF, Hernández-Ochoa EO. Functional Site-Directed Fluorometry in Native Cells to Study Skeletal Muscle Excitability. J Vis Exp. 2023 Jun 2; PubMed PMID: 37335112.
Bibollet H, Nguyen EL, Miranda DR, Ward CW, Voss AA, Schneider MF, Hernández-Ochoa EO. Voltage sensor current, SR Ca(2+) release, and Ca(2+) channel current during trains of action potential-like depolarizations of skeletal muscle fibers. Physiol Rep. 2023 May;11(9):e15675. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10163276.
Banks Q*, Bibollet H*, Contreras M, Bennett DF, Bannister RA, Schneider MF, Hernández-Ochoa EO. Voltage sensor movements of Ca(V)1.1 during an action potential in skeletal muscle fibers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Oct 5;118(40) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8501827. (*co-first)
Additional Publication Citations
Morgenstern TJ, Nirwan N, Hernández-Ochoa EO, Bibollet H, Choudhury P, Laloudakis YD, Ben Johny M, Bannister RA, Schneider MF, Minor DL Jr, Colecraft HM. Selective posttranslational inhibition of Ca(V)β(1)-associated voltage-dependent calcium channels with a functionalized nanobody. Nat Commun. 2022 Dec 9;13(1):7556. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9734117.
Research Interests
Voltage-gated ion channels are essential transmembrane proteins that serve as molecular tunnels, enabling the selective flow of ions across cell membranes. These ion movements regulate cellular excitability and are fundamental to the function of excitable tissues such as the heart, brain, skeletal muscle, and pancreas. Genetic mutations or pharmacological modulation of these channels can alter their molecular dynamics, leading to imbalances in cellular excitability. Such disruptions underlie a wide range of human disorders, including cardiac arrhythmias (Long QT and Short QT syndromes), autism spectrum disorders, ataxia, and type 2 diabetes.
My research focuses on uncovering the mechanistic basis of conformational rearrangements in voltage-gated ion channels. By elucidating how structural transitions govern channel gating and ion flow, I aim to deepen our understanding of how inherited mutations or drug interactions give rise to channelopathies. To address these questions, I integrate multiple experimental approaches. Electrophysiology provides high-resolution insights into channel gating kinetics and ionic currents. Live-cell fluorescence-based imaging allows the visualization of conformational changes and protein dynamics in real time. Complementary structural biology approaches provide a framework for mapping these dynamic processes onto molecular architectures. Together, these techniques enable a comprehensive investigation of ion channel structure-motion-function.
My long-term goal is to bridge mechanistic insights with clinical applications—linking ion channel dynamics to disease mechanisms and identifying novel avenues for therapeutic intervention in channelopathies.
Lab Techniques and Equipment
Patch clamp
Current clamp
Two electrode voltage clamp
Voltage clamp fluorometry
Ca2+ imaging
Sparks imaging
Cell system: HEK cells, Primary myotubes, Immortalized myotubes (C2C12, GLTs), Cardiomyocytes, Skeletal muscle fibers, Xenopus oocytes