Small molecule dual-inhibitors of TRPV4 and TRPA1 for attenuation of inflammation and pain.

Dr. Yong Chen is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine.  He is also affiliated with Duke Anesthesiology-Center for Translational Pain Medicine (CTPM) and Duke-Pathology.

The Chen lab mainly studies sensory neurobiology of pain and itch, with a focus on TRP ion channels and neural circuits. The main objective of our lab is to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying chronic pain and chronic-disease associated itch, using a combination of animal behavioral, genetic, molecular and cellular, advanced imaging, viral, and optogenetic approaches.  There are three major research areas in the lab: craniofacial pain, arthritis pain and joint function, and systemic-disease associated itch.

Dr. Simon's laboratory studies the interaction of chemical stimuli with cultured and intact trigeminal ganglion neurons and taste receptor cells both in culture, in anesthetized and in awake behaving animals. We investigate how chemicals that are either bitter and/or irritating ( e.g., nicotine, capsaicin, colloidal particles) interact with particular types of receptors (e.g. nicotinic acetylcholine receptors or vanilloid receptors) to produce a bitter, irritating or painful sensation. We also investigate how these compounds evoke responses in various cortical regions such as the ventral tegmental area, orbitofrontal cortex and gustatory cortex. Our overall goal is to obtain a understanding of the events from the molecular to the behavioral levels that underlie gustatory and irritating sensations produced by chemical stimuli. We collaborate with the Nicolelis and Reinhart laboratories.

Another focus of Dr. Simon's laboratory is to investigate the physical chemical interactions that occur when peptides interact with membranes. To date we have focused on leader sequences. This work is in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Tom Mcintosh in the Cell Biology Department.

Our laboratory has two major research interests:

Enteroendocrine Cell Biology

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are sensory cells of the gut that send signals throughout the body.  They have the ability to sense food and nutrients in the lumen of the intestine and secrete hormones into the blood.  Our laboratory has had a longstanding interest in two types of EECs that regulate satiety and signal the brain to stop eating.   Cholecystokinin (CCK) is secreted from EECs of the upper small intestine and regulates the ingestion and digestion of food through effects on the stomach, gallbladder, pancreas and brain.  Peptide YY (PYY) is secreted from EECs of the small intestine and colon and regulates satiety.  We recently demonstrated that CCK and PYY cells not only secrete hormones but are directly connected to nerves through unique cellular processes called ‘neuropods’.  Our laboratory is devoted to understanding EECs signaling and its role in disease.

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas compounded by intrapancreaatic activation of digestive enzymes.  Our laboratory is studying the influence of nerves on the development of pancreatitis. Neurogenic inflammation results from the release of bioactive substances from sensory neurons in the pancreas causing vasodilatation, edema, and inflammatory cell infiltration producing tissue necrosis. Our goal is to identify the agents that activate sensory neurons, characterize the receptors on sensory nerves that mediate these actions, and determine the effects of neural stimulation on pancreatic injury with the long-term objective of developing strategies to reduce neurogenic inflammation to treat pancreatitis. 

Visit our lab page.

Research Interests in the Liedtke-Lab:

• Pain/ nociception

• Sensory transduction and -transmission
• TRP ion channels
• Water and salt equilibrium regulated by the central nervous system