The Harrison Laboratory studies neuroplasticity using an interdisciplinary systems biology approach: Our techniques include 'omics technologies coupled with bioinformatics for hypothesis generation.  Low-throughput "gold-standard" validation assays (e.g., Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, qPCR) are then used to confirm/validate targets and test hypotheses. Validated targets are then assessed for activity and efficacy in whole-animal models. Subsequently, samples are collected for successive 'omics profiling and bioinformatic analyses, thus furthering the "systems-biology discovery cycle".

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Current projects include:

The Role of mRNA-Protein Interactions in Pain Chronification

- Discovery and characterisation of the role of 3'-Untranslated Region (3'UTR) mRNA variants during neuroplasticity.

- Discovery and characterisation of RNA-Binding Proteins (RBPs) that interact with 3'UTR variants during neuroplasticity.

- Targeting these RNA-protein interactions in models of chronic pain.

- Using peptide libraries to develop aptamers for discovery of non-opioid pain therapeutics.

The Alzheimer-Disease Gene: CD2AP

- Comparative histological characterisation of CD2AP expression in normal and diseased nervous tissue.

- The functional role of CD2AP in Alzheimer pathophysiology.