Maddalena Comini

After completing my PhD in cellular biophysics at the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centre (Fz Jülich), I joined the lab of Prof. David Bennett at NDCN (Oxford), where I study the role of VGSC Nav1.7 and calcium-permeable TRPA1 in painful channelopathies. To pursue my research, I employ a multi-disciplinary approach, involving electrophysiological (patch clamp and MEA multi-electrode arrays) and molecular biology techniques. My aim is to get a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying pain perception and sensitivity, in a variety of in vitro cellular models (HEK293T cells, mouse DRG and human iPSC-d sensory neurons), to finally identify novel therapeutic targets.

I am a Junior Research Fellow (Non Stipendiary) at St Catherine's College (University of Oxford), where I am employed as Stipendiary Lecturer in Neurophysiology and Experimental Psychology and Graduate College Adviser. In addition, I am a Tutor at Somerville College (University of Oxford), where I teach Neurophysiology to 1^st year Experimental Psychology undergraduates.

I like to engage in social and fundraising activities, and I co-chair the Clinical Neurosciences Society at NDCN, which aims at creating an inclusive environment, and bringing people together in the departmnet, across multiple divisions.

Finally, I try and promote science and physiology-related research as Representative at NDCN for the Physiological Society UK, an international community which brings together scientists from a multicultural and diverse background