# Modulating single cell types in the sensory nervous system

> **NIH NIH R01** · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · 2024 · $525,842

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Some of the best drugs to study and to treat pain and other nervous system disorders originate in the diverse
chemistry made by animals and their microbiomes. These chemicals evolved to mediate interactions between
animals, often triggering very precise responses in animal neurons. In particular, sensory neurons are major
targets because they provoke an almost immediate behavioral reaction from the receiving animal. In humans,
the somatosensory nervous system is a major target for drugs to treat pain and other nervous system
disorders.
Here, we seek to understand how natural compounds from animals and the animal microbiome mediate
somatosensory signaling. We will interrogate this problem at the level of individual subclasses of neurons. The
sensory system encodes many distinct cell types, each of which is responsible for a very specific type of
sensation. For example, there are several different types of neurons that sense different kinds of heat, cold,
pain, touch, itch, and bodily position. By applying neuroactive ligands to these natural mixtures of sensory
cells, we are able to immediately visualize compounds that target just a single subset of cells, such as those
responsible for mechanical or cold pain. In turn, those ligands may provide good drugs or drug leads to
mediate the chronic pain conditions that are primarily caused by damage to those neurons.
This project will map the functional pharmacology of neurons responsible for sensation, with a focus on pain
sensation and central control of pain. At the same time, we will discover new ligands with potential application
as tool compounds or as new therapies for chronic pain and other neurological diseases. To do so, our specific
aims are to: 1) Discover ligands that target specific cell types in the sensory neurons; 2) Test the therapeutic
efficacy of ligands by strategically selecting animal models of disease; and 3) Characterize the physiological
targets and off-targets of test compounds in synergy with medicinal chemistry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10885941
- **Project number:** 5R01NS125305-03
- **Recipient organization:** UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- **Principal Investigator:** Eric W Schmidt
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $525,842
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10885941

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10885941, Modulating single cell types in the sensory nervous system (5R01NS125305-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10885941. Licensed CC0.

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