Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS)

Computational Biomedicine (IAS-5 / INM-9)

Pain and neuroinflammation

“If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live, and I need to live it in the best way possible"
― Paulo Coelho

Ion Channels and SCN Aachen

We have the opportunity to be part of "The Sodium Channel Network Aachen (SCN^Aachen): Sodium channel‐related pain disorders: From molecular mechanisms towards personalized treatment" and the Research Training Group “MultiSenses - MultiScales” (RTG2416).

Within the framework of this consortium, we aim to use computational tools to study, at the molecular level, the interactions between drugs and the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.7 in different functional states, with particular focus on the mutated versions. Mutations on Nav1.7 can lead to an insensitivity to pain, loss of smell (anosmia), or the appearance of apparently-unmotivated pain sensations and inflammation in the body.

People involved

Vishal Eswaran

Ph.D. student

Building Gebäude 16.15 /
Room Raum 3007

+49 2461/61-8933

E-Mail

Prof. Dr. Giulia Rossetti

Group leader of Drug Design Hub for Digital Neuropharmacology

Building 16.15 /
Room 3001

+49 2461/61-8933

E-Mail

Collaborators

AG Prof. Angelika Lampert
Dr. Paulo Cesar Telles de Souza - CNRS (Lyon)

Fundings

HuR proteins

The Human antigen R (HuR) is a ubiquitously expressed, RNA-binding homodimeric protein. It modulates the stability and translational efficiency of messenger RNAs (mRNAs), by interacting with their adenylate-uridylate-rich elements (AU-rich elements or AREs). HuR was recently shown that the protein plays an important role for chronic pain in animal models. Therefore, HuR has emerged as a promising target against chronic pain.