Ca2+ channels by depleting the plasma membrane phosphoinositides, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). New tools and findings from the Hille lab, together with the initial finding (1996) from Donald W. Hilgemann's lab at UT southwestern, demonstrated that PIP2 is an essential cofactor for many ion channels and transporters. The low-abundance signaling lipid PIP2 indeed plays a significant role in regulating neuronal and cardiac excitability. Hille has developed a detailed model of the PIP2 loss mechanism and its effects on the muscarinic inhibition of M-channels. Hille has published more than 200 papers and book chapters. He is the author of multiple editions of Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes, described as an essential introduction not just for beginners but for readers throughout the areas of biochemistry and biophysics. Hille's book is considered to mark a turning point in the field, defining the modern era of ion channel studies. The book is known for its clarity of language, its ability to communicate to both the beginner and the specialist, its attention to research history, and the breadth and depth of its scientific coverage. Awards and distinctions 1986 - Elected to the National Academy of Sciences 1990 - Bristol-Myers Squibb Award 1996 - Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize at Columbia University (with Clay Armstrong) 1998 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1999 - Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (with Rod MacKinnon and Clay Armstrong) 2001 Gairdner Foundation International Award (with Armstrong and MacKinnon), "For the elucidation of the mechanism of action and molecular structure of cation channels". 2002 - Elected to the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) 2008 - Doctorate of Science honoris causa, The Rockefeller University 2009 - Bard Lecture, Johns Hopkins University 2018 - Distinguished Science in Medicine Lecture, University of Washington School of Medicine References External links Faculty page at UW 1940 births Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American biochemists Living people University of Washington faculty Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research Electrophysiologists Members of the National Academy of Medicine