CALCIUM CHANNEL DYNAMICS AND NOCICEPTION
Department : Neuroscience
Research subject
Ion channels are the main molecular substrate of cellular excitability and their dysfunction is retrieved in many neuronal pathologies including chronic pain. With a strong background on voltage gated calcium channel structure function studies, our most recent contribution to this field is 1) the identification of the role of CaV3.2 T-type calcium channels in various pain syndromes including chemotherapy induced neuropathy or irritable bowel disease [1-3], 2) the discovery of specific T-type calcium channel pharmacology [4], and 3) the engineering of methods to monitor calcium channel trafficking in vitro and in vivo.
Our aim is to focus into the pathophysiological role of these channels in pain using specific genetically engineered mice [5]. We notably monitor native T-type channel trafficking and their role in nociceptive sensory neurons in various pathologic pain syndromes. We decipher the potential therapeutic potential of different new selective T-type calcium channel ligands in pathological pain models closely related to clinical cases in a translational approach.
The skills that support our activity are the use of genetically modified mouse models and behaviour analysis of pain, intracellular calcium imaging, as well as electrophysiology. The team is included in the LABEX ICST (a French network of laboratories specialized in the study of ion channels) as well as in the French network of research on pain.
