Rethinking translational pain research – studies of human tissues for the identification and validation of analgesic targets

Dr. Gereau is the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine, where he also serves as Director of the Washington University Pain Center. He earned a BS in Biology from Missouri State University and a PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University. Following postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute, he took a faculty position in Neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine, serving as Assistant and Associate Professor until 2004, when he was recruited to Washington University School of Medicine.  Gereau’s research program seeks to determine the cellular and molecular changes that underlie the development of chronic pain conditions.

His lab utilizes a combination of behavioral studies, patch clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, in vivo imaging, molecular and genetic approaches to understand the signaling pathways, cells and circuits involved in nervous system plasticity that underlies pain sensitization. The lab mission is to identify novel approaches to reverse this maladaptive plasticity to provide new therapeutic strategies to reduce pain and its impact on patient quality of life. Work in the lab also includes clinical science aimed at translating findings from the lab into new or improved therapies for patients with pain. These studies include comparative studies of human physiology to preclinical models, as well as healthy human volunteer studies aimed at establishing proof of concept for novel analgesic therapies based on findings from the laboratory. Recent work in the Gereau lab has included work to develop novel technologies enabling the measurement and manipulation of neuronal activity in freely moving animals. Gereau has helped to develop battery-free, wireless implants for optogenetic manipulation, microfluidic delivery of drugs, and measurement of a variety of physiological parameters. The most recent iterations enable real-time measurement of end-organ function, algorithms to identify pathological dysfunction, and delivery of corrective neuromodulation in closed-loop systems.

Dr. Gereau was the recipient of the Frederick WL Kerr Award for Basic Science Research from the American Pain Society and the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from NINDS. Gereau serves as a member of advisory boards related to strategic planning for pain research, including the NIH HEAL Initiative