Min Zhuo

 

 

 

 

Reducing human sufferings and pain by performing key scientific experiments

 

Min Zhuo, Ph.D.

Department of Physiology

University of Toronto Center for the Study for Pain

University of Toronto , 1 Kings College Circle, Toronto , Ontario , Canada , M5S 1A8

Phone: (416) 978-4018

E-mail:   min. zhuo @utoronto.ca

 

Present Position    

     Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience

     The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health

     Canada Research Chair in Pain and Cognition, Tier I

 

      Chang Jia ng Visiting Scholar in Neurobiology

     Fudan University , China

 

EDUCATION

       Undergraduate:

       1985       University of Science & Technology , Anhui , China

                     B.S., Physiology & Biophysics.

       Graduate:

1987       Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Graduate program, Shanghai , China

                1988 - 1989    Visiting Scientist, University of Iowa , Supervisor: G.F. Gebhart

1989 - 1992      Predoctoral Fellow, University of Iowa , Supervisor: G.F. Gebhart

1992-  1993    University of Iowa , Ph.D., Pharmacology.

      

       Postgraduate:

1992 - 1993       Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University , Supervisor: E.R. Kandel (Nobel Laureate)

1993 - 1995      Research Associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,  Columbia

                                          University, Supervisor: E.R. Kandel (Nobel Laureate)

1995 - 1996      Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University , Supervisor: R. W. Tsien

      

APPOINTMENTS

                1996, July – 1999, December       Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology

                           Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

2000, January-2002, June            Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology

                     Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

                     Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry

2000, January-2003, June            Chief of Basic Research, Washington University Pain Center

2002, June-2003, June                  Professor, Department of Anesthesiology

                     Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

                     Professor, Department of Psychiatry

2003, July-present                        Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Centre for the Study 

                                                               of Pain, University of Toronto

                     The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health

                                                                        Canada Research Chair in Pain and Cognition, Tiger I

 

RESEARCH INTEREST

Memory

Fear and anxiety

Pain

Genetic models for neurological and psychiatric diseases

Synaptic transmission and plasticity

Retrograde messengers

                                Cortical reorganization

 

FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS

                             Travel Award, American Pain Society, 1990, 1991, 1992

                             Travel Award, International Association for the Study of Pain, 1991

                             Howard Hugh Medical Institute postdoctoral fellowship (1993-1995)

                             NIH research Career Development Award (R29, 1997-2001)

                             Wang Kuan-Cheng Research Award  (2003)

                             The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health

                             Canada Research Chair in Pain and Cognition, Tier I

                             Chang Jia ng Visiting Scholar in Neurobiology

 

EDITORIAL BOARDS AND ACTIVITES

 

Editor:   A new textbook of pain focused on recent progress:  Molecular Pain, planned to be released in 2006

 

Editors:

Editor-in-Chief: Molecular Pain

Editor: Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models 

Section Editor: Drug Discovery Today, Pain and Analgesia

Editor: Acta Physiologica Sinica , China

Editor: Neuroscience Bulletin , China

Scientific adviser for High Education Press in China

 

CIHR review panel: member of Behavioral Science A (2006-   )

 

Ad Hoc Reviewer:

Nature; Nature Neuroscience; Neuron

Journal of Neuroscience; Journal of Physiology ( London ); Journal of Neurophysiology;

European Journal of Neuroscience; Trends in Neuroscience; Cerebral Cortex; J Neurochemistry

Neuroscience; NeuroReport, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience; Neuropharmacology; Neuroscience letters; FEBS Journal; Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences; Journal of Neuroscience Methods; Journal of Neuroscience Research; Brain Research Bulletin, NeuroSignals; Cell Press: Chemistry and Biology; British Journal of Pharmacology; Brain Research; Life Sciences; Molecular Brain Research; Current Medical Chemistry; Experimental Brain Research

Journal of Pain; Molecular Pain, Pain; Anesthesiology; Somatosensory Research

 

Grant reviewer and evaluation

NIH, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Special Emphasis Panel , ZNS1 SRB W1 (1999)

Reviewer of JIF applications: The Wellcome Trust, UK (1999)

NIH, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NSD-C Review committee (2000)

Reviewer of CRDF in pain (Civilian Research & Development Foundation) (2000)

NIH, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NSD-C Review committee (2001)

Reviewer of CRDF in memory (Civilian Research & Development Foundation) (2001)

Organizer of Midwest Pain Interest Group meeting in St Louis (2001)

Reviewer for the John Sealy Memorial Endowment Fund for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (2002).

Reviewer for National Natural Science Foundation of China, Life Science proposals (2002)

Reviewer of The Wellcome Trust, UK (2003)

Reviewer for the John Sealy Memorial Endowment Fund for Biomedical Research, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (2003).

NIH, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NSD-C Review committee (2003)

NIH, National Institute of Dental Research, Pain Center program project grants (2004)

National Science Foundation , China (2004)

Evaluation of Chinese life science institutes in Beijing area (2004)

UK Wellocme Trust Fund reviewer (2005)

UK MRC grant review (2005)

 

Review board of National Science foundation, China (2005-    )

 

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

Society for Neuroscience

American Pain Society

International Association for the Study of Pain

American Association for the Advancement of Science

 

RECENT INVITED PROFESSORSHIPS AND LECTURESHIPS

 

Chair or Speaker

1999, Speaker, August.  International Association for the Study of Pain meeting, Workshop on “Descending modulation of nociception in animal models of persistent pain”, Vienna .

1999, Speaker, September, Conference on Neuronal circuits: from molecules to organisms, Ascona , Switzerland .

2001, Speaker, September.  Cambridge Healthtech Institutes’s Third Annual “Application of Genomics to Animal models for pharmaceutical studies”, Boston , USA .

2002, Speaker, May.  International symposium on plasticity of pain system, Fukuoka , Japan .

2002, Speaker, June, C.N.R.S. - Jacques Monod Conference; "Glutamate receptors and transporters: structure, cell biology, physiology.” France .

2002, Speaker, April, Spring Pain meeting (Grand Cayman), Kainate receptors and pain, Grand Cayman .

2003, Speaker, March, Dinner symposium, American Pain Society Annual meeting. “Cortical plasticity after amputation”. Chicago , USA

2003, Speaker, April, British Neuroscience Meeting. “Glutamate subtype receptors: from sensory transmission & modulation to chronic pain”, UK

2003, Speaker and co-organizer, April, The 5th East-West Pain Conference, Anhui , The Yellow mountain, China

2003, September, Novaris Foundation Symposium: Pathological pain from molecular to clinical aspects, Tsukuba , Japan

2003, Speaker, November, Toronto , Annual meeting for Institute of Neuroscience , Mental Health and Addiction, CIHR, Canada

2004, Speaker, March, Mont Sainte-Anne Pain meeting, Quebec City , Canada

2004, Chair and Speaker, April, Spring Pain meeting (Grand Cayman), Plasticity and Pain, Grand Cayman .

2004, Chair and Speaker, June, GuangZhou , China , The Third symposium on Neuroscience for young scholars worldwide

2004, Speaker, July, Beijing , China , NorthAmerican Chinese neuroscientists meeting, Speaker for Synaptic plasticity

2004, Speaker, July, Beijing , 1st International Conference of Chinese Physiological Society meeting.

2004, Co-Chair and Speaker, August, 16th International Congress of IFAA (International Federation of Association of Anatomists), Kyoto , Japan ,: The Progress of Pain Research in Anatomy and Physiology.

2004, Speaker, The EJLB_Smith Annual symposium, Montreal , Canada .

2005, Speaker, April, Symposium, American Pain Society Annual meeting. “The supraspinal Ying-Yang modulation”. Boston , USA

2005, Speaker, Synapse symposium, Vancouver .

2005, Speaker, Memory symposium, Seoul , Korea .

2005, Speaker, Biology of Manual Therapies, CIHR-NIH first joint meeting, NIH , USA

2006,  Speaker, Fragile X Syndrome, Basic Mechanisms and Treatment Implications in Cold Spring Habor

2006, Chair and Speaker, Spring Pain meeting (Grand Cayman), Glutamate and Pain, Grand Cayman .

2006 Organizer and Chair, The fourth symposium on international neuroscience worldwide, China

2006  Speaker, FAOPS international meeting, Seoul .

 

University Seminar speaker

1998, Neuroscience weekend seminar, Washington University

1998, Department of Neurology, Washington University

1998, Pain Management Seminar, Washington University

1999, October, Center for Basic Neuroscience, University of Texas , Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas .

2000, February, Indiana University , Department of Anatomy and cell biology.

                             2000, May, The Rockefeller University, Paul Greengard ’s laboratory.

2000, May, Department of Anesthesiology resident lecture: Mechanism of Pain Transmission and Modulation. 

                             2000, June, Midwest Pain Interesting Group meeting, Iowa City .

                             2000, September, Department of Cell Biology, Washington University

                             2000, October, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University

                             2001, September, University of Cincinnati , Neuroscience program Speaker.

2001, September, Department of Anesthesiology Grand Round speaker, Washington University .

2001, September, Pain Management seminar speaker, Washington University .

2001, October, Pharmacia seminar Speaker, Chicago , USA .

2001, October, Department of Psychiatry, Grandround Speaker , Washington University

2002, March, University of Iowa , Pain program Speaker.

2002, May, Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University , Japan .

2002, May, Pfizer Inc., Global Research & Development, Nagoya , Japan . 

2002, July, University of Toronto , Department of Physiology and the Centre of Pain Studies, Canada . “Synaptic and genetic analyses of pain and memory: from synapse to behaviour”

2002, September, Baylor College of Medicine, Neuroscience program seminar

2002, November, John Hopkins University , Pain research program

2003, February, University of Texas at Galveston , Department of Neuroscience

2003, June, Purdue Pharma Inc, New Jersey , USA .

2003, September, University of British Columbia, Brain Research Institute, “Synaptic connections: from pain to memory”

2003, October, Institute for Neuroscience, Shanghai , China

2004, January, University of Tokyo , Japan

2004, January, University of Toronto , Canada

2004, July, University of Calgary , Canada

                             2004, November, UCSF, NIH Pain center, USA

                             2004, November, Tokyo Agriculture University , Japan

2004, Elain, South San Francisco , USA

                             2004, November, Kyusu University , Fukuoka , Japan

                             2005, March, Fudan University , Shanghai , China

2005    Institute for Neuroscience, Shanghai , China

2005  Shanghai Secondary medical university hospital, Shanghai , China

2005    Capital medical university, Beijing , China

2005    Nura Inc, Seattle , USA

2006    Harvard University

 

 

RESEARCH SUPPORT:

 

Current funding

  1. Canada Research Chair Tier I in the Neurobiology of Pain and Cognition                                                            

                                                                                    10/30/2003-10/30/2010           $1.4 million

  1. The EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neuroscience and Mental Health 

                                                                                    09/01/2003-09/01/2008           $750,000.00

  1. NIH/NINDS  R01  NS042722:  Synaptic change in the cingulate cortex after amputation: The long-term goal is to study changes in the anterior cingulate cortex after digit amputation, a model for studying phantom pain   09/30/2003-06/30/2007

  2. CIHR operating grant   Injury-related synaptic plasticity in the anterior cingulate cortex.  The long-term goal is to investigate the roles of ACC in chronic pain induced by nerve injury and inflammation.

                                                                                    2004-2009 (5 years)

  1. Neurocanada:  Chronic pain                                  2004-2007 (3 years)

  2. Canadian Fragile X foundation                                 2004-2006 (2 years)

  3. National Science Foundation of China, Grant for excellent oversea scientist (5 years) for collaborating researches in Shanghai , Fudan university

 

Teaching title and responsibilities:

Neurobiology of nociception and pain  Special Topic in the Medical Neuroscience course:  (1998), Washington University in St. Louis

Cellular Basis of Nociception and Pain Specific Topic in Cellular Biology: (1999, 2000, 2001) for medical and graduate students

Cellular mechanisms for memory and pain (2002; 2003)

Molecular Basis of Behavior Course leader, Department of Physiology, University of Toronto (2005-    )

 

News coverage of scientific findings from Zhuo’s lab

 

1998

Yahoo Reuters Health news, June 18, 1998, Nerve activation may cause chronic pain

 

Bioworld Today: June 22, 1998.  From injury to ouch, neuronal pathway research turns up “silent” new analgesic concept.

 

The Scientist_The Notebook, PAIN EXPLAINED: Washington University 's Min Zhuo found that a region of the brain in rats could activate neurons in the spinal cord, possibly causing feelings ... www.the-scientist.com/yr1998/july/notebook_980706.html.

 

1999

Reports related to NR2B mice (in collaboration with Drs. Joe Tisen and Liu G.S.)

TIME magazine: "Smart Genes?" September 13, 1999

New York Times: September 2, 1999, Scientist creates a smarter mouse.

Science Daily.   “Scientists Create Smart Mouse”  Addition Of Single Gene Improves Learning And Memory; 1999-09-02,

 

NIH, NIDA: “Normally Silent Synapses in Spinal Cord Become Active to Produce Chronic Pain” National Institute on Drug Abuse, Director's Report to the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse; February, 1999.

 

2001

Washington Post: Tuesday 30 January 2001; Of mice and pain: study of a higher order

 

Science,  news room, January 26, 2001, “No pain, no brains?”   www.academicpress.com/inscight/01292001. 

 

Lancet,  February 3, 2001.  Memory gain means more pain for transgenic mice.

 

“Can Smart Be Painful? “  At least in mice, the two seem somehow linked; http://www.healingwell.com/

 

New Scientist:  March 2, 2002, Painful memories: Bad memories www.newscientist.com

 

NR2B Protein May Be An Attractive Target For The Treatment Of Chronic Pain.  www.hum-molgen.de/NewsGen/02-2001/msg20.html cached

 

2002

BioMedNet  Top Stories.   “Killing chronic pain in the brain” 13 November 2002 16:00 EST,

 

2003

NIH, NINDS: News Articles.: “Study Links Chronic Pain to Signals in the Brain”  Tuesday, January 07, 2003.

 

The Scientist   “Gains in Pain Research”.  December  15, 2003.

 

The Lancet Neurology    “Taking a shot at neuropathic pain”  Vol. 2, December, Page 719.

 

2005

Cell Press new release (Fear and cortex, September 15 2005)

 

Toronto Star front page story: “Scared? It is all in your anterior cingulate cortex”

Globe TV: Night scientific news; September 16, 2005

Medical news today: How and where a painful event becomes permanently etched in the brain

United Press Internationa; Seoul News net; Science Daily Breaking news: Study charts origins of fear memory

 

 

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS

 

1.             Zhuo M, Gebhart GF (1992).  Characterization of descending facilitation and inhibition of spinal nociceptive transmission from the nuclei reticularis gigantocellularis and gigantocellularis pars alpha in the rat. Journal of Neurophysiology, 67:1599-1614.

 

2.             Zhuo M, Small SA, Kandel ER, Hawkins RD (1993).  Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide produce activity-dependent long-term synaptic enhancement in hippocampus. Science, 260:1946-1950.