Ph.D. University College London, UK
Our research interest is molecular nociception, which is to understand the molecular mechanism and genetic control of pain sensation.
One of our major interests is in pain associated with tissue acidosis. Muscle pain is our current focus. The long-range goal is to understand and control the intractable chronic widespread pain, such as fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndromes, etc.
The second major interest is related to the physiological and pathological roles of acid signaling. Due to the fact that tissue acidosis does not always cause pain, we notice that acid signaling may participate in neurotransmission and trigger biofeedback to modulate physiological homeostasis. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are the major acid sensors in mammals. We are using genetic approaches to reveal the roles of ASICs in physiological homeostasis and neural modulation.
The third major interest is to probe the molecular identity and electrophysiological properties of stretch-activated ion channels that are responsible for neurosensory mechanotransduction. We aim to know the roles of the stretch-activated ion channels in chronic acid pain.