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Pharmacology Lab
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The lab studies the mechanisms of pain and itch by focusing on glial cells in the brain and spinal cord.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling pain and itch through neurons and glia.
The lab studies how pain and itch are sensed and transmitted, and how those mechanisms break down and lead to chronic sensory abnormalities.
A distinctive feature is its focus not only on neurons but also on the surrounding glial cells (microglia and astrocytes).
Combining techniques from genetic engineering, in vivo imaging, electrophysiology, optogenetics, and behavioral pharmacology, the lab investigates these mechanisms from molecules to cells to whole animals.
It aims to find drug discovery targets that could change how pain and itch are treated, and to contribute to creating new drugs through collaborative research among industry, academia, and government.
Key terms
- Glial cells
- Cells that surround neurons. They are important for neural function, and have been found to be deeply involved in disease.
- Microglia
- A type of glial cell. Microglia in the spinal cord have been shown to be essential for the onset of neuropathic pain.
- Neuropathic pain
- Chronic pain caused by damage to or dysfunction of the nervous system.
- Allodynia
- A condition in which stimuli that are normally painless, such as clothing touching the skin, cause pain.
NewsLab news
Results of collaborative research with Kanazawa Medical University published in PAIN
Doctoral student wins Excellent Presentation Award at Pharma Bio Forum 2026
Master's student wins Excellent Presentation Award at the Symposium on Biological Functions and Drug Discovery 2026
Results identifying a subpopulation of tactile neurons that suppress pain signals published in PNAS
Results of collaborative research with Institute of Science Tokyo published in Nature
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to clarify how pain and itch arise and become chronic, based on the actions of neurons and the glial cells around them. Through comprehensive research from molecules to whole animals, it aims to find drug discovery targets that could change how pain and itch are treated.
*Illustrative imageNeural Mechanisms That Turn Touch into Pain
The lab studies the mechanism of neuropathic allodynia, in which even a light touch causes pain. Using optogenetics to stimulate Aβ fibers, which carry tactile information, with light, it has clarified the involvement of neuronal subsets in the spinal dorsal horn.
*Illustrative imageMicroglia and the Onset and Recovery of Pain
The lab found that microglia in the spinal cord are essential for the onset of neuropathic pain, and has investigated the receptors and transcription factors involved. It also found that pain does not resolve if a CD11c-positive subgroup that appears after pain onset is removed, and aims to develop drugs that target this subgroup.
*Illustrative imagePain Maintenance and Astrocytes
The lab showed that astrocytes are activated relatively late after nerve injury and are important for maintaining neuropathic pain. It has also found that a subset of astrocytes in the superficial layer of the spinal dorsal horn sensitizes pain signals coming from the skin.
*Illustrative imageChronic Itch and Astrocytes
In a mouse model of atopic dermatitis, the lab showed that astrocytes in the spinal dorsal horn are activated for a long period and contribute to itch becoming chronic. It has also shown that lipocalin-2, released by activated astrocytes, enhances the activity of the neurons that transmit itch signals.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, secretaries, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMakoto Tsuda
- Assistant ProfessorKeita Kohno
- Assistant ProfessorKazuki Fujimori
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Glial cells in the mouse spinal cord” xtream1101 (archive user) / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Neural Mechanisms That Turn Touch into Pain: “Tactile Paving colours and Materials” KavehN / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Microglia and the Onset and Recovery of Pain: “Glial Cell Types” Artwork by Holly Fischer / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Pain Maintenance and Astrocytes: “Spinal cord at the optical microscope” Gianluco / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Chronic Itch and Astrocytes: “Scratching an itch - geograph.org.uk - 3123239” Roger Jones / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Protein Drug Discovery Lab): “Structural basis for inhibition of TSLP-signaling by Tezepelumab” Kvrstra / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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- Related lab (Molecular Pathology Analysis Lab): “Rust and dirt” Roger McLassus / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Structural Analysis for Drug Discovery Lab): “Autism Aspect Pain Sensitivity 1” MissLunaRose12 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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