personal photo of Moszczynska Lab

Moszczynska Lab

Tagline:Lab of Dr. Anna Moszczynska, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Detroit, MI, USA

About Dr. Moszczynska

Dr. Anna Moszczynska is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Lodz, Poland, followed by an M.Sc. in Cell Biology and a Ph.D. in Neurochemistry from the University of Toronto.

Her postdoctoral training included fellowships in Molecular Neurobiology, Molecular Genetics, and Behavioral Pharmacology at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, the University of Guelph, and Boston University, respectively.

Dr. Moszczynska’s lab studies the molecular mechanisms underlying Methamphetamine Use Disorder and methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity. Current research focuses on the anti-addictive properties of parkin, a key regulator of mitochondrial homeostasis, as well as the role of transposable elements in methamphetamine-mediated cognitive impairment and neurotoxicity.

Her major awards include the WSU Academy of Scholars Junior Faculty Award, the Development Chair Award, and the Bench Research Excellence Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Her research is supported by NIH/NIDA grants.

Lab Research Interests

  • Investigating molecular mechanisms underlying Methamphetamine Use Disorder and methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity.
  • Studying the role of parkin, a ubiquitin-protein ligase that regulates mitochondrial homeostasis, in methamphetamine addictive behaviors.
  • Identifying parkin-mediated biological pathways that may serve as therapeutic targets for Methamphetamine Use Disorder.
  • Exploring the role of transposable elements, including LINE-1 and Identifier, in methamphetamine neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment.

Lab Techniques Used

  • Methamphetamine Self-Administration: Models voluntary drug-taking and relapse-like methamphetamine seeking in rats.
  • Western Blotting and Electrophoresis: Detects and quantifies proteins linked to synaptic, mitochondrial, stress, and inflammatory pathways.
  • Stereotaxic Surgery and AAV Microinjection: Alters protein expression in targeted brain regions, including the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum.
  • Immunohistochemistry: Visualizes proteins in brain tissue to assess inflammation, dopaminergic terminal loss, and cell death.
  • Conditioned Place Preference: Measures the rewarding effects of methamphetamine through drug-context associations.
  • Cell and Organoid Culture: Models cellular responses to methamphetamine in controlled experimental systems.

Lab Members

  • SH

    Sayed Hassan Reza Shah

    Energy Metabolism Proteins in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    date: 2025 - present

    Degree: Master's Degree .

    Description:

    Sayed Hassan Reza Shah is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Moszczynska’s lab. He holds Master’s degrees from Jiangnan University in China and Wayne State University. His research focuses on energy metabolism proteins in Methamphetamine Use Disorder.

  • ZN

    Zeinab Najafi

    Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Parkin in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    date: 2024 - present

    Degree: Doctoral Degree .University: Tehran University of Medical Sciences .

    Description:

    Zeinab Najafi, Pharm.D., is a researcher at Wayne State University. She earned her Pharm.D. from Tehran University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Pharmacology at Northwestern University. In Dr. Moszczynska’s lab, she studies the pharmacology of methamphetamine abuse and its adverse neurological and cardiovascular effects.

    • Screenshot 2025-03-11 at 1.21.05 PM
  • LX

    Liping Xu

    Mitochondrial Enzyme Function in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    date: 2023 - present

    Description:

    Liping Xu is a research associate in Dr. Moszczynska’s lab. She uses her extensive experience with research techniques to assess mitochondrial enzyme function in the brains of methamphetamine-addicted rats.

  • TA

    Tarek Atasi

    Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Parkin in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    date: 2021 - present

    Degree: Bachelor's Degree .University: Wayne State University .

    Description:

    Tarek Atasi is a second-year medical student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. He graduated from Wayne State University in 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences. In Dr. Moszczynska’s lab, he has worked primarily with rat models of methamphetamine self-administration to study mechanisms underlying Methamphetamine Use Disorder.

    • White Coat Photo
    LinkedIn

Publications

  • The Proteomic Landscape of Parkin-Deficient and Parkin Overexpressing Rat Nucleus Accumbens: An Insight into the Role of Parkin in Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    Journal ArticlePublisher:BiomoleculesDate:2025
    Authors:
    Akhil SharmaTarek AtasiTasnim ArroumLucynda PhamMaik HuttemannAnna Moszczynska

  • Interactions of VMAT2 with CDCrel-1 and Parkin in Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity

    Journal ArticlePublisher:International Journal of Molecular SciencesDate:2024
    Authors:
    Heli ChauhanNicholas J CarruthersPaul M StemmerBernard L SchneiderAnna Moszczynska

  • Methamphetamine-induced region-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in the brain of male rats

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Communications BiologyDate:2023
    Authors:
    Benpeng MiaoXiaoyun XingViktoriia BazylianskaPamela MaddenAnna MoszszynskaBo Zhang

  • Insights Into the Complexity of Methamphetamine Actions in the Brain and Periphery in the Face of a 3rd Methamphetamine Abuse Epidemic

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Current NeuropharmacologyDate:2021
    Authors:
    Anna Moszczynska

  • Dopamine and Methamphetamine Differentially Affect Electron Transport Chain Complexes and Parkin in Rat Striatum: New Insight into Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity

    Journal ArticlePublisher:International Journal of Molecular SciencesDate:2021
    Authors:
    Viktoriia BazylianskaAkhil SharmaHeli ChauhanBernard SchneiderAnna Moszczynska

  • Parkin-deficient rats are resistant to neurotoxicity of chronic high-dose methamphetamine

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Experimental NeurologyDate:2021
    Authors:
    Viktoriia BazylianskaAkhil SharmaAnna Moszczynska

  • Current and Emerging Treatments for Methamphetamine Use Disorder

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Current NeuropharmacologyDate:2021
    Authors:

  • Parkin regulates drug-taking behavior in rat model of methamphetamine use disorder

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Translational PsychiatryDate:2021
    Authors:
    Akhil SharmaArman HarutyunyanBernard L SchneiderAnna Moszczynska

  • Comparison of differential accessibility analysis strategies for ATAC-seq data

    Journal ArticlePublisher:Scientific ReportsDate:2020
    Authors:
    Paul GontarzShuhua FuXiaoyun XingShaopeng LiuBenpeng MiaoViktoriia BazylianskaAkhil SharmaPamela MaddenKitra CatesAndrew YooAnna MoszczynskaTing WangBo Zhang

  • Differential Responses of LINE-1 in the Dentate Gyrus, Striatum and Prefrontal Cortex to Chronic Neurotoxic Methamphetamine: A Study in Rat Brain

    Journal ArticlePublisher:GenesDate:2020
    Authors:
    Anna Moszczynska