Job ID: 121939

Research Assistant in Pain Research

Position: Research Assistant

Deadline: 12 March 2025

Contract Length: 36 months

City: Coventry

Country: United Kingdom

Institution: University of Warwick

Department: School of Life Sciences

Description:

We have discovered a novel painkilling mechanism activated by an unusual agonist of the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R). This agonist, BnOCPA, seems only to activate one of the six Gi/o Gα subunits that adenosine receptors can couple to – the Gob subunit. Since this subunit is found at low levels in the heart, BnOCPA does not affect blood pressure or heart rate, but still acts as a potent analgesic in a preclinical model of neuropathic pain.

In this project, funded by the MRC, we will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of BnOCPA and a related derivative, and test BnOCPA in neuropathic and inflammatory pain models.

The project involves three labs at the University of Warwick (Frenguelli, Wall and Zhang). Each group brings specific expertise to the project and different aspects will be overseen as required.

The three groups are part of the Neuroscience Research Cluster in the School of Life Sciences at Warwick University. We are a diverse group of neuroscientists who study a variety of physiological and pathological process occurring in the nervous system. Through in silico, molecular, cellular and whole animal approaches, we investigate fundamental properties of synaptic transmission and plasticity, the influence of pathogenic proteins, and the impact and mechanisms of stress, pain and epilepsy.

The labs are located in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB), a new £54m state-of-the-art research facility that combines cutting edge research infrastructure with award-winning architecture.

For more information about our lab visit:
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/bfrenguelli/

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/mwall/

https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci/people/xzhang/

For details of the BnOCPA paper visit: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31652-2

For further details and to apply visit: https://tinyurl.com/BnOCPA-RA

See also https://tinyurl.com/BnOCPA-PDRA for a related Postdoctoral Research Fellow position