People

 

Santosh Mishra, Ph.D.

Principal investigator
Molecular Biomedical Sciences
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
skmishra@ncsu.edu

Please visit my site here.

 

 

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Associate Principal Investigator:

Thierry Olivry, DrVet, PhD, DipECVD, DipACVD

Dr. Olivry is a 1984 graduate from the veterinary school of Toulouse (France). After four years as a partner in a specialty clinic in Paris, he moved to the USA for a residency in dermatology and a PhD in comparative pathology at the University of California Davis. He is board-certified by both European and American Colleges of Veterinary Dermatology. In the Fall of 2019, after 25 years as a tenured Faculty in veterinary dermatology at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Olivry became a part-time Research Professor and joined Dr. Santosh Mishra’s laboratory to study the comparative neurobiology of itch. From 2001 to 2004, he was the Chair of the International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis, and from 2008 to 2009, President of the European College of Veterinary Dermatology.

Dr. Olivry has received several awards, including the “ACVD Award for Excellence for Outstanding Contributions to Science and Education”, the “NCSU Clinician of the Year award”, the “Pfizer Award for Research Excellence at NCSU” and the “World Small Animal Veterinary Association Hill’s Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare Award”. In 2017, he received one of the ECVD’s “25^th Anniversary Awards” in recognition of his service to this College. He has been made an honorary member of both Latin American and European Societies of Veterinary Dermatology.

Dr. Olivry has authored more than 260 peer-reviewed articles, and he has been invited all over the world to lecture to veterinary and medical audiences. For more than two decades, he has been researching the mechanism and treatment of atopic dermatitis and itch in dogs. More recently, he also expanded into the characterization of food allergens in dogs and cats.

List of publications (PubMed): click here

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Lab members:

Laura Minnema, Ph.D. Candidate

I’m under the direction of Duncan Lascelles and Santosh Mishra to study the mechanism (s) involved in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. My work involves behavioral testing for hypersensitivity, gait analysis, immunohistochemistry, ELISAs, and qPCR. Being on the vet school campus has afforded a unique experience in translational research, allowing me to work with both canine and murine samples. My concentration in the CBS program is pharmacology. I graduated with a bachelors in Neuroscience from the College of William and Mary and worked as an analytical chemist at Syngenta Crop Protection before coming to NC State.

Undergraduate Degree:
2015 –  B.S. Neuroscience, College of William & Mary

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Josh Wheeler, Ph.D Candidate

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the amount of linoleic acid, an ω-6 fatty acid, consumed in the diet has increased dramatically. Unlike arachidonic acid (another ω-6 fatty acid), the metabolites of linoleic acid produced by the body are poorly understood. My graduate research work is to determine the interaction of these endogenous metabolites derived from linoleic acid metabolism (or arachidonic acid metabolism) with the sensory neurons of peripheral nervous system. Sensory neurons act as gatekeepers between the skin and the central nervous system by detecting and transmitting pain and itch signals to the spinal cord. Currently, I am using calcium imaging, behavioral assays, and mouse genetics to identify the receptors for these linoleic acid derivatives. My long-term goal is to optimize an in vivo approach to show the activation of sensory neurons using GCamp6f mice in response to lipid derivates. In summary, my research could reveal potential pharmacological targets of lipid mediators to reduce pain and itch sensation.

Undergraduate Degree:
2013 –  B.S. Biochemistry, North Carolina State University

Graduate Degree:
2015 –  M.S. Chemistry, North Carolina State University

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Michelle Parkington, Ph.D student

“Mel” Parkington is currently conducting research to provide a better understanding of somatosensation regarding the signaling and detection demonstrated at behavioral, cellular, and molecular levels, associated with Autism in the peripheral nervous system.  Gene mutations identified as risk factors for various diseases including Autism and Schizophrenia may result in maladaptive behaviors, such as Self Injurious Behaviors.  Her research aims to better characterize the role of specific gene mutations in relation to these SIBs.  Her research includes a mouse model, and bench methods include qRT PCR, IHC, ICC, and behavior analysis.

Undergraduate Degrees:
2000 – B.S. Marketing Management, Virginia Tech
2010 – B.S. Psychology, Virginia Tech

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Former lab members:

Tyler Jordan, DVM, DipAVCD, PhD student

Saumitra Pitake, Ph.D, Post Doctorate Staff

Hiroki Kitaka, Ph.D, Post Doctorate Staff

Jennifer Debrecht, Lab Technician

 

Undergraduate Students: