Members

Andrew Shepherd, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - Laboratory site

Neuroimmune crosstalk and neuropharmacology

The main goals of our research is to understand how the immune system can modulate the activity of the peripheral nervous system, and how this goes awry in chronic pain states, such as those induced by nerve injury. The peptide hormone angiotensin II plays a key role in macrophage infiltration and activation at sites of injury, mediating neuro-immune crosstalk that underlies diverse chronic pain states.

Chris Gibbons, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - Laboratory site

Patient-reported data, artificial intelligence, and the intersection of the two

The INSPiRED Cancer Care Center is focused on applying cutting-edge methods to the collection, analysis and reporting of patient-reported data in clinical practice and research. Our research combines modern psychometric and artificial intelligence techniques to streamline patient assessment and to deliver person-centered and data-driven insights for patients undergoing cancer treatment at MD Anderson and around the world.

Peter Grace, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - Laboratory site

Neuroimmunology and pharmacology of chronic pain

The main goals of our research program are to elucidate how immune signaling dysregulates neuronal signaling in the context of chronic pain. One area of focus is how autoimmune signaling after peripheral nerve injury initiates and maintains neuronal hyper excitability. A second area of focus is understanding how cortical and subcortical microglia contribute to affective disturbances in chronic pain states. A third area of research is on the protective role of Nrf2 in neuropathic pain, and discovery of precise approaches to therapeutically activate this antioxidant master-regulator.