Ling Cao Receives Grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Ling Cao

Ling Cao, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the 色香视频College of Osteopathic Medicine鈥檚 Biomedical Sciences Department, received a new R01 grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) for the total of $1,631,005.

The grant, titled, 鈥淩ole of CD137L in Peripheral Nerve Injury Induced Neuropathic Pain,鈥 will provide her laboratory with funding for the next five 5 years to investigate the role of a molecule expressed by cells in the spinal cord. This molecule is involved in the development and exacerbation of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is one of the most devastating kinds of chronic pain, and to date effective treatment for this kind of pain is lacking.

Cao鈥檚 project will look at how blocking the activation of this molecule can promote a shift in cell activation and reduce injury-induced sensory hypersensitivity. The long-term goal of Cao鈥檚 research is to contribute to the development of novel treatments for neuropathic pain, which fits well with NINDS鈥 mission to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The preliminary data for Cao鈥檚 current grant award was supported by a NIGMS grant.

 

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