Sharon Owino’s research interests are focused on understanding how the brain repairs itself following injury. Unlike the peripheral nervous system, in which injured nerves are constantly regenerating, damage to the central nervous system leads to irreversible deficits due to the inability of the brain and spinal cord to undergo repair. Owino’s primary research focuses on receptor signaling mechanisms underlying central nervous system plasticity following stroke. Her lab will utilize transgenic mice and various cellular models to explore how specific G-Protein coupled receptor signaling pathways alter the regenerative capacity of the brain.

Owino received a doctorate in biological sciences from the Morehouse School of Medicine and conducted postdoctoral research as an IRACDA FIRST fellow and AFAR fellow at the Emory University School of Medicine before joining the Smith faculty. She spent her undergraduate years as a biomedical engineering major at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Clemson University.

Selected Publications

Owino S, Giddens MM, Jiang JG, Nguyen TT, Shiu FH, Lala T, Gearing M, McCrary MR, Gu X, Wei L, Yu SP, Hall RA (2021) GPR37 modulates progenitor cell dynamics in a mouse model of ischemic stroke Exp Neurol.; 342:113719

Nguyen TT, Dammer EB, Owino SA, Giddens MM, Madaras NS, Duong DM, Seyfried NT, Hall RA (2020) Quantitative Proteomics Reveal an Altered Pattern of Protein Expression in Brain Tissue from Mice Lacking GPR37 and GPR37L1 J Proteome Res.;19(2):744-755

McCrary MR, Jiang MQ, Giddens MM, Zhang JY, Owino S, Wei ZZ, Zhong W, Gu X, Xin H, Hall RA, Wei L, Yu SP (2019) Protective effects of GPR37 via regulation of inflammation and multiple cell death pathways after ischemic stroke in mice FASEB J.;33(10):10680-10691

Owino S, Buonfiglio DDC, Tchio C, Tosini G. Melatonin Signaling a Key Regulator of Glucose Homeostasis and Energy Metabolism (2019) Melatonin Signaling a Key Regulator of Glucose Homeostasis and Energy Metabolism Front Endocrinol (Lausanne).;10:488

Owino S, Sánchez-Bretaño A, Tchio C, Cecon E, Karamitri A, Dam J, Jockers R, Piccione G, Noh HL, Kim T, Kim JK, Baba K, Tosini G (2018) Nocturnal activation of melatonin receptor type 1 signaling modulates diurnal insulin sensitivity via regulation of PI3K activity J Pineal Res.;64(3)

Giddens MM, Wong JC, Schroeder JP, Farrow EG, Smith BM, Owino S, Soden SE, Meyer RC, Saunders C, LePichon JB, Weinshenker D, Escayg A, Hall RA (2017) GPR37L1 modulates seizure susceptibility: Evidence from mouse studies and analyses of a human GPR37L1 variant Neurobiol Dis.;106:181-190

Owino S, Contreras-Alcantara S, Baba K, Tosini G (2016) Melatonin Signaling Controls the Daily Rhythm in Blood Glucose Levels Independent of Peripheral Clocks. PLoS One.;11(1):e0148214

For a complete list of publications, please visit Google Scholar.