Title of Project
Molecular Mechanisms of Pain.
Value: £106,713

Abstract
The sodium channel NaV1.7 is essential for pain perception in human and provides a very promising analgesic drug target. I will combine genetic and pharmacological studies to define the role of NaV1.7 in a range of unexplored pain conditions, including visceral, cancer and other chronic pain conditions, using both transgenic mice and selective pharmacological blockers of the channel. In addition I will collaborate with human geneticists analysing the role of NaV1.7 variants and model these in transgenic mice. These approaches should define the precise role of NaV1.7 in human pain states and facilitate the development of new analgesic drugs.