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My research focuses on finding novel treatments for depression and its co-morbidities and in developing novel therapeutics for these invalidating diseases.
Chronic pain is a major health problem, very often associated with depression and insomnia. It afflicts a significantnumber of patients, resulting in personal suffering, reduced productivity, and substantial health care costs. The drugs available to treat chronic pain are scant and induce many side effects including dependence and addiction.In 2014, a total of 47,055 people died for opioid drug overdose in USA.
听 听My lab has developed a novel class of drugs, called melatonin MT2 receptor agonists听that have demonstrated preclinical efficacy in animal models of neuropathic or chronic pain. My ongoing research focuses on understanding the mechanism of action of these novel melatonin MT2 agonists, their interaction with opioid receptors and in conducting human clinical trials.In my laboratory, our approach spans from the bench to the bedside, attempting to bridge the gaps which exist between basic and clinical research. The techniques employed in the lab include in vivo electrophysiology, behavioral pharmacology and neurochemistry.