Principal Investigator
Amol Patwardhan, M.D., Ph.D.
Amol was raised in India and completed his medical training there. He received a Ph.D. in pharmacology under the mentorship of Dr. Kenneth Hargreaves at UTHSCSA. He went on to complete an anesthesia residency and interventional pain fellowship at University of Arizona and UCSD respectively. Over the years his work has focused on mechanisms of opioid and cannabinoid analgesia, endogenous lipid activators of pain, neurotensin receptor pharmacology and interventional trial of pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches in pain patients.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Seph Palomino, Ph.D.
Seph Palomino is from Tucson, Arizona. He received his Ph.D. in Medical Pharmacology from the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona in 2022. His thesis focus was on how inhibition of Heat Shock Protein 90 mitigated facial allodynia and improved blood brain barrier Integrity in a migraine model utilizing cortical spreading depression. Currently, He is working with Dr. Patwardhan investigating the neurotensin receptor system as a potential analgesic pathway for drug development as an opioid alternative for post-surgical and neuropathic pain.
Research Technician
Jasha Harvey
Jasha Harvey is from Kansas City, Missouri. She received her Bachelor's of Science in Biology from Lincoln University of Missouri in 2021 with a focus in Pre-Medicine. Currently, she works with Dr. Patwardhan investigating the neurotensin receptor system as a potential analgesic pathway for drug development as an opioid alternative for post-surgical and neuropathic pain.
Our Research
A major focus of the Patwardhan lab is translational research into mechanisms of pain and potential treatment. Specific projects include:
- Advancement of an evolutionary conserved mechanism of non-opioid analgesia into humans with high impact chronic pain such as cancer and neuropathic pain
- Identification of biological factors associated with neuropathic pain
- Clinical trials of non-opioid pharmacological agents as well as neuromodulatory devices in chronic pain patients
The approaches employed include in-vivo behavioral assays in various high impact chronic states, biochemical, imaging and genetic editing techniques in animals. Moreover, we also use human donor tissue such as sensory neurons and spinal cord to translate these findings to humans using novel biochemical and genetic techniques. Clinical studies involve longitudinal assessment of various interventions in chronic pain patients.
As research techniques have become highly specialized over the years, it is ever more important to work in collaborative team models where investigators with different expertise come together to take on complex problems such as chronic pain. Our laboratory firmly believes in a ‘team science’ approach and has numerous local, national and international collaborations to investigate chronic pain mechanisms and therapies.
Featured Publications
Michler’s Hydrol Blue Elucidates Structural Difference in Yeast Prion Strains
Xiao, Y., Rocha, S., Kitts, C., Reymer, A., Beke-Somfrai, T., Frederick, K.K..* & Nordén, B.*
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 117:29677-29683 (2020) PMC7703575
Cryogenic Sample Loading into a Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer that Preserves Cellular Viability
Ghosh, R.#, Kragelj, J.#, Xiao, Y.# & Frederick, K.K.*
Journal of Visualized Experiments 163:e61733 (2020) PMID32955491
Segmental Labeling: Applications to Protein NMR and DNP
Ghosh, R., Madrid, C., & Frederick, K.K.*
eMagRes 9, 71-80. (2020)
Contact Us
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd
Dallas, TX 75390