Members
Faculty 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.
Executive Committee
Co-Chairs
Carin Hagberg, M.D.
Professor and Chief academic officer and Division head of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine
Andrew Shepherd, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Symptom Research
Members
Annemieke Kavelaars, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Symptom Research
Peter Grace, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Symptom Research
Andrew Shepherd, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Symptom Research
Vinay Puduvalli, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Neuro-oncology
David Tweardy, M.D.
Professor and Head, Division of Internal Medicine
Chris Gibbons, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Symptom Research
Salahadin Abdi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pain Medicine
Pat Dougherty, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Pain Medicine
Andy Futreal, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Genomic Medicine
Jim Ray, Ph.D.
Head, Neurodegeneration Research