Tuan Trang

Professor (Physiology & Pharmacology)

Affiliations

Cumming School of Medicine

Co-Chair

Spinal Cord Nerve Injury and Pain Research Group

BSc (Honours), PhD


Contact information

Phone

Web presence

Trang Lab

Location

Office : HSC2123

Preferred method of communication

 

 


Research and teaching

Research Interests

  • Neuroscience

Research / Scholarly Activities

How does our body tell us something is painful? Why do certain people go on to develop chronic pain whereas others, with apparently similar disorders or injuries, do not? And why is pain so difficult to treat? To begin to unravel the great paradox of pain, our research focuses on discovering the fundamental molecules and processes involved in chronic pain and enhancing the utility of opioid drugs in treating pain conditions. We utilize behavioral, biochemical, molecular, and single-cell imaging approaches in whole animal models and cell culture systems. This multipronged strategy will enable us to dissect key processes involved in chronic pain, and identify new cellular targets that oppose the pain-relieving actions of opioid drugs. The discoveries arising from our work have direct and important benefits for the clinical management of pain conditions in both humans and animals.


Biography

Dr. Trang obtained his BSc (Honours) and a Ph.D. degree from Queen’s University.  His doctoral training in Pharmacology and Toxicology focused on the effects of opioid analgesic drugs on the brain and spinal cord.  He then pursued training as a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he expanded his area of expertise into the study of chronic pain. 

Research Personnel/Trainees

  • Heather Leduc-Pessah, Leaders of Medicine Student
  • Nicole Burma, MSc student
  • Michael Mousseau, Ph.D. student
  • Churmy Fan, Ph.D. student
  • Alexandra Pilapil, MSc student
  • Indra Raharjo