Professor Franziska Denk DPhil
Professor in Neuroscience
Biography
Franziska Denk is Professor in Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London.
She leads the Denk Lab, which studies the peripheral nervous system and its involvement in chronic pain conditions. Her group is particularly interested in why pain persists over long periods of time and is exploring the role of neuroimmune interactions and epigenetic mechanisms in this context.
The Lab's favourite tools include transgenic models and high-throughput molecular analyses on sorted cell populations (scRNAseq, ChIP-seq, CUT&Tag, ATAC-seq). Theu also work with induced pluripotent stem cell derived models of peripheral neurons.
Franziska is also Co-Director of the Wellcome Trust PhD Training Scheme in Neuroimmune Interactions and in general, her team is looking to promote interdisciplinary research in an open and positive environment.
The scheme enjoys sharing data, and engage with other researchers and the public on a regular basis. So please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Franziska is an EDI Theme Representative at the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Maudsley.
Key collaborators
- Professor Leonie Taams, King’s College London
- Professor David Bennett, Oxford University
- Professor Chris Buckley, Oxford University
- Professor Ewan St John Smith, Cambridge University
Find out more about my research
Key publications
- Villa-Hernandez S et al., 2025. A role for fibroblast and mural cell subsets in models of neuropathic pain. Brain, Behavior & Immunity.
- Li Y et al., 2025. Blockade of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid-induced sensory neuron activation by JAK inhibitors. JCI Insight.
- Li Y et al., 2025. Modelling inflammation-induced peripheral sensitization in a dish – more complex than expected? Pain.
- Rutter-Locher Z et al., 2024. An interdisciplinary perspective on peripheral drivers of pain in rheumatoid arthritis. Nature Reviews Rheumatology.
- Liang Z et al., 2020. A transcriptional toolbox for exploring peripheral neuro-immune interactions. Pain.
Research
RNA Biology
RNA is at the forefront of biomedical research for its central role in how information is transferred from DNA to protein. This Research Interest Group is open to all interested parties from across the University.
Organoids Research Interest Group (ORIG)
Organoids are 3D, miniature versions of organs grown from stem cells. They replicate organ structure and function, making them essential for studying tissue homeostasis, disease mechanisms, and developing new therapies. This research interest group encompasses all organoid-related research at King’s College London.
News
King's to lead £3m study tackling pain in inflammatory arthritis
Researchers at King’s College London are leading a national research consortium to tackle one of the largest unmet clinical needs in inflammatory arthritis,...
International Neuropathic Pain consortium awarded €1.4m grant
DECIPHER, an international consortium on Neuropathic Pain led by King’s College London, has been awarded €1.4m by ERA-NET Neuron to research the role of...
Dr Yuening Li awarded the Tadion Rideal Prize for Molecular Science
Congratulations to Dr Yuening Li on winning £1000 for her outstanding research investigating pain mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
Research sheds light on how rheumatoid arthritis drug relieves pain
New research from King’s College London has found how a type of anti-inflammatory drug works to relieve pain in rheumatoid arthritis. The findings could pave...
King's researchers awarded funding to study persistent pain in inflammatory arthritis
The £3.9M award will be used to identify the drivers of pain in people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
King's researchers receive 2020 Emerging Leaders Prize awards
Dr Philip Holland and Dr Franziska Denk both received the awards from the Medical Research Foundation
Events
IoPPN Research Festival 2025 - Bridging disciplines, brain to behaviour
An annual showcase of exciting and innovative research celebrating academic success across the IoPPN.
Please note: this event has passed.
Research
RNA Biology
RNA is at the forefront of biomedical research for its central role in how information is transferred from DNA to protein. This Research Interest Group is open to all interested parties from across the University.
Organoids Research Interest Group (ORIG)
Organoids are 3D, miniature versions of organs grown from stem cells. They replicate organ structure and function, making them essential for studying tissue homeostasis, disease mechanisms, and developing new therapies. This research interest group encompasses all organoid-related research at King’s College London.
News
King's to lead £3m study tackling pain in inflammatory arthritis
Researchers at King’s College London are leading a national research consortium to tackle one of the largest unmet clinical needs in inflammatory arthritis,...
International Neuropathic Pain consortium awarded €1.4m grant
DECIPHER, an international consortium on Neuropathic Pain led by King’s College London, has been awarded €1.4m by ERA-NET Neuron to research the role of...
Dr Yuening Li awarded the Tadion Rideal Prize for Molecular Science
Congratulations to Dr Yuening Li on winning £1000 for her outstanding research investigating pain mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
Research sheds light on how rheumatoid arthritis drug relieves pain
New research from King’s College London has found how a type of anti-inflammatory drug works to relieve pain in rheumatoid arthritis. The findings could pave...
King's researchers awarded funding to study persistent pain in inflammatory arthritis
The £3.9M award will be used to identify the drivers of pain in people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
King's researchers receive 2020 Emerging Leaders Prize awards
Dr Philip Holland and Dr Franziska Denk both received the awards from the Medical Research Foundation
Events
IoPPN Research Festival 2025 - Bridging disciplines, brain to behaviour
An annual showcase of exciting and innovative research celebrating academic success across the IoPPN.
Please note: this event has passed.