Dr. Chen, Chih-Cheng 陳志成 博士
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.
酸是造成疼痛的主要因子之一，特別是發炎，缺血，腫瘤等引起的慢性疼痛均與組織酸化有關。因此，研究傳遞酸訊息的基因將有助於發展新的止痛對策與藥物。我們過去已經從痛覺神經中陸續選殖出酸的受體基因，並建立了多種酸敏性離子通道的基因剔除小鼠模式。目前主要的研究方向包含:
(1) 探討引起慢性肌肉酸痛的分子機制。
(2) 研究酸敏性離子通道在神經傳導與生理恆定所扮演的角色。
(3) 選殖機械力受體的基因並探討其在慢性酸痛所扮演的角色。
