A Novel Technique For Prolonged Silencing Of Visceral Pain Without Opiates
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$637,383.00
Summary
There has been substantial interest in the community for pain relief without opiates. This project demonstrates a new strategy to suppress pain at the source for prolonged periods, by suppressing activity in the sensory nerve endings that detect pain, not by acting in central pathways like opiates. To do this, we use a harmless virus to shut down a vital sodium channel for pain perception. These experiments use techniques that were recently developed in our lab and cant be performed elsewhere.
Nanoengineered Bioelectronic Systems For All-Optical Control Of Neuron Growth And Stimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,452.00
Summary
Nerve cells are the primary signal carriers of the human body. When they cease to function normally, our bodies ability to function and sense the physical world is influenced catastrophically. We will develop a new bioelectronic system made by printing clever inks that can artificially stimulate nerve cells without the typical requirements for invasive metal electrodes or external power. These new scientific advances will revolutionize nerve cell repair and treatment of neurological disorders.
How Intestinal Motility Activates Sensory Pathways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$555,875.00
Summary
Pain and discomfort from the gut are common and unpleasant. We understand how gut sensory nerve cells work, at the cellular, molecular and genetic level. However, movement of the gut wall and contents are the major cause of activation of sensory neurons. We know little about which particular patterns of movement cause pain. This is crucial information for accurately diagnosing human gut disorders, for monitoring effectiveness of treatments and for identifying potential new drug targets.
Chronic inflammation underlies common and debilitating diseases and causes pain by unknown mechanisms. There is an urgent need to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of chronic pain, which will allow the development of improved therapies with fewer side-effects. Our research program investigates the mechanisms of pain that are associated with inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, with the goal of developing more effective and selective therapies.