Ewan St. John Smith

The paper presents a telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of the naked mole-rat and compares it with a related species to identify gene losses and duplications associated with unique traits.

This study uses a live-cell autophagy reporter to show that naked mole-rat skin fibroblasts form reversible vacuoles under lysosomal stress, indicating dynamic lysosomal remodelling.

This study shows that MSC-EVs prevent NGF-induced sensory neuron sensitization through miRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation.

This study determines the cryo-EM structure of a brain shuttle antibody bound to the transferrin receptor and shows how its binding features affect avidity, pH sensitivity, and brain delivery.

The paper shows that GPR65 internalization in fibroblast-like synoviocytes is necessary for ERK activation and cytokine release, which sensitize nociceptive neurons.

Tandem detects, classifies, and quantifies bacterial tandem gene duplications in reference genomes and population samples with high accuracy.

This paper develops a co-culture system of human keratinocytes and iPSC-derived sensory neurons to model AD itch, showing TRPA1 and JAK1/2 inhibition reduce pruritogen responses.

The paper investigates how cromolyn, a GPR35 agonist, inhibits PGE2-induced TRPV1 sensitization in sensory neurons, supporting GPR35 as an anti-nociceptive target.

This study identifies GPR68 as a mediator of acid-induced colonic nociception through genetic and pharmacological approaches in mice.

This study shows that overexpressing Prdm12 in knee-innervating neurons reduces inflammatory joint pain and neuronal hyperexcitability in mice.

This paper develops a strategy to reduce immunotoxicity in self-amplifying RNA by encoding immune suppressors that bypass translation shutdown, enabling sustained transgene expression in mouse cells.

The paper identifies IL-17's role in enhancing pain sensitivity in the gut via PI3K-dependent mechanisms in ulcerative colitis.

This study shows artemin induces similar sensitization of sensory neurons in mice and naked mole-rats in vitro, suggesting conserved mechanisms despite differences in pain responses.

This study shows that sphingomyelin 34:1 induces inflammatory pain and neuronal hyperexcitability in mice with osteoarthritis.

This paper develops a method to produce animal venom toxins using recombinant Fc-fusion proteins, achieving high yields and functionality for various toxin types.

This study functionally and pharmacologically characterizes the store-operated calcium entry pathway in naked mole-rat cells using both excitable and non-excitable cells.

This study shows that activating GPR65 on fibroblast-like synoviocytes leads to inflammatory mediator release, contributing to joint pain in mice and humans.

This study shows TRPV4 activation in the colon increases afferent activity via mucosal release of ATP and glutamate, suggesting a target for visceral pain treatment.

The paper presents an updated reference genome for the naked mole-rat, identifying gene losses and gains linked to its unique physiological traits.

This study investigates how inflammatory mediators affect TRPM3 channel function in mouse sensory neurons and finds that IL-1β and TNF potentiate TRPM3 without changing its expression, while pharmacological blockade does not alleviate inflammatory pain in a specific model.

This study correlates mouse digging behavior with human pain experience, showing that digging deficits reflect pain levels and that meloxicam is more effective than gabapentin in alleviating these deficits.

The paper uses phylogenetic modeling to analyze epigenomic changes in mole-rats and identifies regulatory elements associated with metabolic and hypoxia-related traits.

This study shows TNFα sensitizes colonic nociceptors via TNFR1 and p38 MAPK, enhancing responses to capsaicin and noxious distension.

This study finds that somatic mutation rates per year decrease with species lifespan across mammals, suggesting evolutionary constraints on mutagenesis and its role in ageing.

This study shows that ovine dorsal root ganglion neurons from osteochondral defect models exhibit increased excitability and TRPV1 function, indicating peripheral sensitization.

The paper maps behavioral signatures of inflammatory pain and its relief in mice using computational tools and identifies that a common anti-inflammatory drug does not fully restore pre-injury behavior.

This study uses AAV-PHP.S to deliver chemogenetic receptors to knee-innervating DRG neurons, showing that inhibitory DREADDs reduce inflammation-induced pain in mice.

This study shows that TNF-α activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes sensitize knee neurons in vitro, contributing to inflammatory pain in arthritis.

The paper identifies a genetic variant in KCNG4 associated with increased labor pain by altering KV6.4 function in uterine nociceptors.