Professor Marzia Malcangio PhD
Professor of Neuropharmacology
Research interests
- Pharmacology
Contact details
Biography
My research is devoted to the study of the positive and negative modulation of pain transmission, with an emphasis on chronic pain. My research group is currently focusing on neuro-immune interactions in settings of chronic pain, covering a range of specific pain subtypes from neuropathic pain to cancer-induced bone pain. To date, I have published over 100 papers on pain and edited a book on synaptic plasticity in pain. In doing so, I have explained fundamental mechanisms and identified new targets in chronic pain, including protease and chemokines pathways in microglia and macrophage-mediated mechanisms.
Please see my Research Staff Profile for more detail.
Find out more about my research:
Key Publications:
- Oggero et al., 2025. Activation of proresolving macrophages in dorsal root ganglia attenuates persistent arthritis pain. Proc Natl Acad Sci.
- Sideris-Lampretsas et al., 2023. Galectin-3 activates spinal microglia to induce inflammatory nociception in wild type but not in mice modelling Alzheimer’s Disease. Nat Comms.
- Zeboudj et al., 2023. Silencing miR-21-5p in sensory neurons reverses neuropathic allodynia via activation of TGFB-related pathway in macrophages. J Clin Invest.
Key Collaborators:
- Professor Mauro Perretti, Queen Mary University
- Dr Emanuele Sher, Eli Lilly
- Professor Ray Chaudhuri, King’s College London
- Professor Clive Ballard, Exeter University
Research
TOBeATPAIN
Targeting neuroinflammation to combat pathological pain in neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain syndromes
TOBeATPAIN Project 1: Neuroinflammation and pain in Alzheimer’s disease
The perception of pain is altered in AD patients and poor management of pain in conditions such as chronic inflammation may trigger distress and aggressiveness.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Pain not perceived in the same way in people with Alzheimer's Disease
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that in a mouse model mimicking...
Mechanisms underlying chronic pain in Parkinson's disease identified
Scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London reported distinct pathological mechanisms behind two...
Research
TOBeATPAIN
Targeting neuroinflammation to combat pathological pain in neurodegenerative diseases and chronic pain syndromes
TOBeATPAIN Project 1: Neuroinflammation and pain in Alzheimer’s disease
The perception of pain is altered in AD patients and poor management of pain in conditions such as chronic inflammation may trigger distress and aggressiveness.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Pain not perceived in the same way in people with Alzheimer's Disease
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that in a mouse model mimicking...
Mechanisms underlying chronic pain in Parkinson's disease identified
Scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London reported distinct pathological mechanisms behind two...