Dr Gregory Weir

  • Senior Research Fellow (Centre for Neuroscience)

email: Gregory.Weir@glasgow.ac.uk

Room 306 Sir James Black Building, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Import to contacts

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802

Research interests

Biography 

I received my BA in Physiological Sciences (2007-2010) before completing a DPhil in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (2010-2015), both at the University of Oxford. My DPhil focussed on investigating rare genetic mutations associated with common migraine and was performed under the supervision of Dr Zameel Cader. Pursuing my interest in the biology of sensory neurons, I undertook a four year postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Professor David Bennett (2014-2019) as part of a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award: “Defining pain circuitry in health and disease.” Funded by a Career Development Award from the MRC (2020-2025) and supported by a Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Leadership Fellowship, I am now a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, leading my own research team.

Research interests

My work focusses on gaining insight into sensory neuron biology in health and disease. Sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia are an incredibly heterogeneous population of neurons; tasked with detecting a range of sensations including touch, itch, warmth, cooling and nociception. While much knowledge has been accrued as to the molecular profile of molecularly distinct sensory neurons, the functional roles they play in normal sensation are still unclear. Less still is understood as to which populations contribute to different aspects of pathological pain, for example following damage to the nervous system (neuropathic pain). Better knowledge of the neural circuits underlying normal nociception and pathological pain states will help advance our efforts to develop novel analgesics to meet the clinical need of pain.

I am particularly interested in using new tools available to neuroscience in order to control the activity of discreet neuronal populations. In doing so we can begin to ask fundamental questions on the role these neurons play in the sensation of pain. We have developed a chemogenetic approach capable of long-term and non-invasive neuronal silencing, which we can target to discreet populations. We are using this approach, in combination with electrophysiological recordings and advanced neuroanatomical techniques, to investigate the drivers of pathological pain.

 

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
Number of items: 16.

2023

Boyle, K. A. et al. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. eLife, 12, RP86633. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.86633) (PMID:37490401) (PMCID:PMC10392120)

Gutierrez-Mecinas, M. , Kókai, É., Polgár, E., Quillet, R., Titterton, H. F., Weir, G. A. , Watanabe, M. and Todd, A. J. (2023) Antibodies against the gastrin-releasing peptide precursor pro-gastrin-releasing peptide reveal its expression in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. Neuroscience, 510, pp. 60-71. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.023) (PMID:36581131)

2022

Middleton, S. J. et al. (2022) Nav1.7 is required for normal C-low threshold mechanoreceptor function in humans and mice. Brain, 145(10), pp. 3637-3653. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awab482) (PMID:34957475) (PMCID:PMC9586547)

2021

Chrysostomidou, L., Cooper, A. H. and Weir, G. A. (2021) Cellular models of pain: new technologies and their potential to progress preclinical research. Neurobiology of Pain, 10, 100063. (doi: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100063)

2020

Baskozos, G. et al. (2020) Molecular and cellular correlates of human nerve regeneration: ADCYAP1/PACAP enhance nerve outgrowth. Brain, 143(7), pp. 2009-2026. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa163) (PMID:32651949) (PMCID:PMC7462094)

2019

Pettingill, P. et al. (2019) A causal role for TRESK loss of function in migraine mechanisms. Brain, 142(12), pp. 3852-3867. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awz342) (PMID:31742594) (PMCID:PMC6906598)

Calvo, M. et al. (2019) The genetics of neuropathic pain from model organisms to clinical application. Neuron, 104(4), pp. 637-653. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.018) (PMID:31751545)

Weir, G. A. , Pettingill, P., Wu, Y., Duggal, G., Ilie, A.-S., Akerman, C. J. and Cader, M. Z. (2019) The role of TRESK in discrete sensory neuron populations and somatosensory processing. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 12, 170. (doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00170) (PMID:31379497) (PMCID:PMC6650782)

McDermott, L. A. et al. (2019) Defining the functional role of NaV1.7 in human nociception. Neuron, 101(5), 905-919.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.047) (PMID:30795902) (PMCID:PMC6424805)

2018

Dawes, J. M. et al. (2018) Immune or genetic-mediated disruption of CASPR2 causes pain hypersensitivity due to enhanced primary afferent excitability. Neuron, 97(4), 806-822.e10. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.033) (PMID:29429934)

2017

Weir, G. A. , Middleton, S. J., Clark, A. J., Daniel, T., Khovanov, N., McMahon, S. B. and Bennett, D. L. (2017) Using an engineered glutamate-gated chloride channel to silence sensory neurons and treat neuropathic pain at the source. Brain, 140(10), pp. 2570-2585. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awx201) (PMID:28969375) (PMCID:PMC5841150)

2016

Dafinca, R. et al. (2016) C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansions are associated with altered endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis and stress granule formation in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Stem Cells, 34(8), pp. 2063-2078. (doi: 10.1002/stem.2388) (PMID:27097283) (PMCID:PMC4979662)

Sleigh, J. N., Weir, G. A. and Schiavo, G. (2016) A simple, step-by-step dissection protocol for the rapid isolation of mouse dorsal root ganglia. BMC Research Notes, 9, 82. (doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-1915-8) (PMID:26864470) (PMCID:PMC4750296)

2013

Wright, P. D., Weir, G. , Cartland, J., Tickle, D., Kettleborough, C., Cader, M. Z. and Jerman, J. (2013) Cloxyquin (5-chloroquinolin-8-ol) is an activator of the two-pore domain potassium channel TRESK. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 441(2), pp. 463-468. (doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.10.090) (PMID:24383077)

2012

Janssen, B. J.C., Malinauskas, T., Weir, G. A. , Cader, M. Z., Siebold, C. and E. Yvonne, J. (2012) Neuropilins lock secreted semaphorins onto plexins in a ternary signaling complex. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 19(12), pp. 1293-1299. (doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2416) (PMID:23104057) (PMCID:PMC3590443)

2011

Weir, G. A. and Cader, M. Z. (2011) New directions in migraine. BMC Medicine, 9, 116. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-116) (PMID:22027350) (PMCID:PMC3217871)

This list was generated on Fri Apr 19 15:33:09 2024 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 16.

Articles

Boyle, K. A. et al. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. eLife, 12, RP86633. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.86633) (PMID:37490401) (PMCID:PMC10392120)

Gutierrez-Mecinas, M. , Kókai, É., Polgár, E., Quillet, R., Titterton, H. F., Weir, G. A. , Watanabe, M. and Todd, A. J. (2023) Antibodies against the gastrin-releasing peptide precursor pro-gastrin-releasing peptide reveal its expression in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. Neuroscience, 510, pp. 60-71. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.023) (PMID:36581131)

Middleton, S. J. et al. (2022) Nav1.7 is required for normal C-low threshold mechanoreceptor function in humans and mice. Brain, 145(10), pp. 3637-3653. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awab482) (PMID:34957475) (PMCID:PMC9586547)

Chrysostomidou, L., Cooper, A. H. and Weir, G. A. (2021) Cellular models of pain: new technologies and their potential to progress preclinical research. Neurobiology of Pain, 10, 100063. (doi: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100063)

Baskozos, G. et al. (2020) Molecular and cellular correlates of human nerve regeneration: ADCYAP1/PACAP enhance nerve outgrowth. Brain, 143(7), pp. 2009-2026. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa163) (PMID:32651949) (PMCID:PMC7462094)

Pettingill, P. et al. (2019) A causal role for TRESK loss of function in migraine mechanisms. Brain, 142(12), pp. 3852-3867. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awz342) (PMID:31742594) (PMCID:PMC6906598)

Calvo, M. et al. (2019) The genetics of neuropathic pain from model organisms to clinical application. Neuron, 104(4), pp. 637-653. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.018) (PMID:31751545)

Weir, G. A. , Pettingill, P., Wu, Y., Duggal, G., Ilie, A.-S., Akerman, C. J. and Cader, M. Z. (2019) The role of TRESK in discrete sensory neuron populations and somatosensory processing. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 12, 170. (doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00170) (PMID:31379497) (PMCID:PMC6650782)

McDermott, L. A. et al. (2019) Defining the functional role of NaV1.7 in human nociception. Neuron, 101(5), 905-919.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.047) (PMID:30795902) (PMCID:PMC6424805)

Dawes, J. M. et al. (2018) Immune or genetic-mediated disruption of CASPR2 causes pain hypersensitivity due to enhanced primary afferent excitability. Neuron, 97(4), 806-822.e10. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.033) (PMID:29429934)

Weir, G. A. , Middleton, S. J., Clark, A. J., Daniel, T., Khovanov, N., McMahon, S. B. and Bennett, D. L. (2017) Using an engineered glutamate-gated chloride channel to silence sensory neurons and treat neuropathic pain at the source. Brain, 140(10), pp. 2570-2585. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awx201) (PMID:28969375) (PMCID:PMC5841150)

Dafinca, R. et al. (2016) C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansions are associated with altered endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis and stress granule formation in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Stem Cells, 34(8), pp. 2063-2078. (doi: 10.1002/stem.2388) (PMID:27097283) (PMCID:PMC4979662)

Sleigh, J. N., Weir, G. A. and Schiavo, G. (2016) A simple, step-by-step dissection protocol for the rapid isolation of mouse dorsal root ganglia. BMC Research Notes, 9, 82. (doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-1915-8) (PMID:26864470) (PMCID:PMC4750296)

Wright, P. D., Weir, G. , Cartland, J., Tickle, D., Kettleborough, C., Cader, M. Z. and Jerman, J. (2013) Cloxyquin (5-chloroquinolin-8-ol) is an activator of the two-pore domain potassium channel TRESK. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 441(2), pp. 463-468. (doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.10.090) (PMID:24383077)

Janssen, B. J.C., Malinauskas, T., Weir, G. A. , Cader, M. Z., Siebold, C. and E. Yvonne, J. (2012) Neuropilins lock secreted semaphorins onto plexins in a ternary signaling complex. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 19(12), pp. 1293-1299. (doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2416) (PMID:23104057) (PMCID:PMC3590443)

Weir, G. A. and Cader, M. Z. (2011) New directions in migraine. BMC Medicine, 9, 116. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-116) (PMID:22027350) (PMCID:PMC3217871)

This list was generated on Fri Apr 19 15:33:09 2024 BST.

Grants

Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.

  • Targeting Canine Sensory Neurons for Analgesia - a Multiomics Approach
    Institut Analgesia
    2023 - 2025
     
  • Dissecting the relative contributions of injured and intact primary afferents to neuronal plasticity and neuropathic pain
    Medical Research Council
    2020 - 2025
     
  • Rational design of an injured sensory neuron promoter to treat neuropathic pain
    Tenovus Scotland
    2020 - 2021
     

Supervision

Supervised Postgraduate Students

  • Paschalina Chrysostomidou (Postgraduate)
  • Aimi Nadia Razlan (Postgraduate)

Research Assistant

Supervisor

Research datasets

Jump to: 2023
Number of items: 1.

2023

Todd, A. , Boyle, K., Polgar, E., Gutierrez-Mecinas, M. , Dickie, A., Cooper, A., Bell, A., Jumolea, M. E., Casas-Benito, A., Watanabe, M., Hughes, D., Weir, G. and Riddell, J. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Sat Apr 20 08:04:16 2024 BST.

Dr Gregory Weir