Research area

Somatic Sensation

The central question of our research is: How do we feel? How do we perceive mechanical forces, temperature, pain, and other sensory signals in the environment? This process, called somatic sensation, involves converting physical stimuli into cellular electrical signals. This mechanosensation is fundamental to processes such as touch, proprioception, pain, blood pressure regulation, and cell growth. Disruption of somatic sensation can lead to diseases such as chronic pain, cancer, and hearing loss. In some cases, ion channels are directly responsible for converting mechanical forces into electrical signals. However, many channels responsible for these processes are still being discovered, and many important questions remain unanswered.

We focus on understanding the role of ion channels, especially the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, Piezo channels, and other membrane proteins involved in somatic sensation. Our research aims to elucidate how these channels contribute to mechanosensation and pain perception. We also explore how these channels are regulated by interacting proteins, small molecules, and lipids.

Our techniques include X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM for structural insight, electrophysiology to measure ion flow, and biochemistry for functional analysis. We combine these methods to create mechanistic hypotheses and understand how somatic sensation pathways contribute to human health and disease.

Additionally, we are working to develop specific tools for studying somatic sensation, including pharmacological agents and gene-editing techniques, to investigate the biological mechanisms involved at the cellular and tissue levels. This will enable us to study how changes in mechanosensitivity can lead to disease and open doors to targeted therapies.