Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
A/Prof Wendy Imlach is head of the Pain Mechanisms lab in the Department of Physiology at Monash University and the Deputy Head of the Neuroscience Program in the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Her research is focused on neural circuits in the spinal cord that are activated in chronic pain, in an effort to identify new therapeutic targets. She obtained her PhD in Pharmacology in New Zealand from the University of Otago and held postdoctoral positions at Columbia University in New York, and in Australia at the University of Queensland and University of Sydney. Wendy has a background in neuropharmacology, synaptic physiology and neural circuitry and her laboratory investigates spinal dorsal horn circuitry and nociceptive signalling.
Research interests
Our research focuses on changes that happen within the pain processing pathways in the spinal cord following the development of chronic pain. Some of these changes are potential therapeutic targets and we are interested in finding new, more effective ways to treat chronic pain.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- Pain
- Spinal cord
- Neural circuitry
- Neuropharmacology
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Understanding how neural circuit activity is controlled by adenosine
Imlach, W. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Christopoulos, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), De Koninck, Y. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Spanswick, D. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University – Internal Department Contribution
25/03/25 → 24/03/28
Project: Research
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Designing precision dietary therapies for inherited metabolic disorders through nutriphenomics
Johnson, T. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Piper, M. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Solon-Biet, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Dworkin, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), He, Z. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Christodoulou, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Schittenhelm, R. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Imlach, W. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Schwarz, G. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/03/25 → 31/12/28
Project: Research
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Targeting chronic pain: non-pharmacological manipulation of endogenous adenosine
Spanswick, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Wong, Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)), De Koninck, Y. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Imlach, W. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/25 → 31/12/28
Project: Research
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Harnessing Endogenous Opioids to Treat Gut Motility Disorders and Pain
Poole, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Valant, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Carbone, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Mobbs, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Thal, D. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Scammells, P. (Associate Investigator (AI)), King, S. K. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Imlach, W. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Hamilton, J. A. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Veldhuis, N. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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Artificial sensory neuron biosensors to predict post-surgical pain
Matusica, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Barry, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Imlach, W. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/07/22 → 31/01/26
Project: Research
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Identifying potential dietary treatments for inherited metabolic disorders using Drosophila nutrigenomics
Martelli, F., Lin, J., Mele, S., Imlach, W., Kanca, O., Barlow, C. K., Paril, J., Schittenhelm, R. B., Christodoulou, J., Bellen, H. J., Piper, M. D. W. & Johnson, T. K., 26 Mar 2024, In: Cell Reports. 43, 3, 20 p., 113861.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
The contribution of endocytosis to sensitization of nociceptors and synaptic transmission in nociceptive circuits
Tonello, R., Anderson, W., Davidson, S., Escriou, V., Yang, L., Schmidt, B., Imlach, W. (Leading Author) & Bunnett, N., 1 Jun 2023, In: Pain. 164, 6, p. 1355-1374 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
5 Citations (Scopus) -
Therapeutic antagonism of the neurokinin 1 receptor in endosomes provides sustained pain relief
Hegron, A., Peach, C. J., Tonello, R., Seemann, P., Teng, S., Latorre, R., Huebner, H., Weikert, D., Rientjes, J., Veldhuis, N. A., Poole, D. P., Jensen, D. D., Thomsen, A. R. B., Schmidt, B. L., Imlach, W. L., Gmeiner, P. & Bunnett, N. W., 30 May 2023, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 120, 22, 12 p., e2220979120.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access18 Citations (Scopus) -
Selective activation of Gαob by an adenosine A1 receptor agonist elicits analgesia without cardiorespiratory depression
Wall, M. J., Hill, E., Huckstepp, R., Barkan, K., Deganutti, G., Leuenberger, M., Preti, B., Winfield, I., Carvalho, S., Suchankova, A., Wei, H., Safitri, D., Huang, X., Imlach, W., La Mache, C., Dean, E., Hume, C., Hayward, S., Oliver, J. & Zhao, F.-Y. & 5 others, , Dec 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 1, 22 p., 4150.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access30 Citations (Scopus) -
Neuron-specific responses to acetylcholine within the spinal dorsal horn circuits of rodent and primate
Sykes, M. J., Kekesi, O. S., Wong, Y. T., Zhao, F. Y., Spanswick, D. & Imlach, W. L., 15 Oct 2021, In: Neuropharmacology. 198, 12 p., 108755.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus)