Pain Research Group
The Pain Group consists of eleven collaborative research labs in the Medical and Dental Schools. Several important factors contribute to our scientific environment–thereby increasing the probability of research success– including:
- Physical proximity–our lab are contiguous with one another, greatly facilitating collaborative research interactions;
- The Dental School has designated Pain Research as an officially recognized major thematic area and provides our group with institutional support;
- For ~15 years, we have held a weekly pain journal club involving all of our labs comprising ~40 members, including PIs, PhD and dual-degree students, post-doctoral fellows and residents, providing a strong opportunity for continued development and interactions; and
- Seven of our labs hold combined weekly lab meetings, permitting rapid feedback and fostering new collaborations among ongoing projects.
Evidence for this synergy is well documented by our pain faculty serving as co-authors on papers and co-investigators on grants. The primary area of emphasis is on mechanisms regulating function of peripheral nociceptors. Primary methods range from molecular, biochemical, electrophysiologic, anatomical and behavioral preclinical studies to biochemical, genetic and efficacy clinical trials.
