Michael L. LaCroix-Fralish, Ph.D. (Dartmouth College)
2006-present
Positional Cloning of Pain Genes
LaCroix-Fralish, M.L., Ledoux, J.B., and Mogil, J.S. The Pain Genes Database: an interactive browser of pain-related transgenic knockout studies, Pain, in press.
My research interests are on the identification of genetic substrates that underlie variability in pain sensitivity. Specifically, I am characterizing novel "pain genes" identified by QTL studies that will broaden our understanding of the molecular players involved in pain processing.
I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Toxicology from Minnesota State University. My senior research project dealt with the observation of a robust sex difference in the development of paraquat toxicity. This experience provided me with a tangible demonstration that research could make important impacts on human health and disease.
My undergraduate experiences led me to Dartmouth College to pursue graduate research in the laboratory of Joyce DeLeo. I investigated the role of gonadal steroids in mediating sex differences in pain as well as using microarray techniques to identify novel, sex-specific gene regulation. I received my Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology in 2006.
