Clifford Woolf

Clifford Woolf, MB, BCh, PhD

Professor of Neurology

Our group is devoted to investigating the way in which the functional, chemical and structural plasticity of neurons contributes both to the normal function and diseases of the nervous system. Major efforts are devoted to the study of pain, regeneration and neurodegenerative diseases. Most of our work is concentrated on primary sensory and motor neurons, and to the interaction of neurons and immune cells, using a multidisciplinary approach spanning stem cell, molecular and cell biology, electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, behavior and genetics. We have established functional and comparative genomic strategies using expression profiling, bioinformatics and gain- and loss-of-function approaches, to screen for novel genes that contribute to neuronal plasticity and disease phenotypes. The group works closely with many academic groups and the pharmaceutical industry to model disease and identify molecular targets for novel analgesics, axonal growth determinants and neuroprotective agents. Current research includes study of the transcriptional control and post-translational processing of receptors and ion channels that mediate pain hypersensitivity, selective silencing of defined neuronal populations, intracellular signal transduction cascades activated by peripheral inflammation and nerve injury, neuro-immune interactions, transcription factors as master regulators of pain, growth and survival programs, cell survival in injured sensory and motor neurons, and the contribution of intrinsic growth determinants in establishing regenerative capacity in the peripheral and central nervous system. We are an active part of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and are investigating how sensory and motor neurons reprogrammed from patient fibroblasts can be used to study pain and motor neuron disease and to screen for new treatments.

"We have established functional and comparative genomic strategies using expression profiling, bioinformatics and gain- and loss-of-function approaches, to screen for novel genes that contribute to neuronal plasticity and disease phenotypes."

Publications View
Bortezomib-induced neuropathy is in part mediated by the sensitization of TRPV1 channels.
Authors: Authors: Sprague JM, Yekkirala AS, Singh B, Tochitsky I, Stephens M, Viramontes O, Ivanis J, Biscola NP, Havton LA, Woolf CJ, Latremoliere A.
Commun Biol
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Biology and pathophysiology of symptomatic neuromas.
Authors: Authors: Hwang CD, Hoftiezer YAJ, Raasveld FV, Gomez-Eslava B, van der Heijden EPA, Jayakar S, Black BJ, Johnston BR, Wainger BJ, Renthal W, Woolf CJ, Eberlin KR.
Pain
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Human OPRM1 and murine Oprm1 promoter driven viral constructs for genetic access to µ-opioidergic cell types.
Authors: Authors: Salimando GJ, Tremblay S, Kimmey BA, Li J, Rogers SA, Wojick JA, McCall NM, Wooldridge LM, Rodrigues A, Borner T, Gardiner KL, Jayakar SS, Singeç I, Woolf CJ, Hayes MR, De Jonghe BC, Bennett FC, Bennett ML, Blendy JA, Platt ML, Creasy KT, Renthal WR, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K, Corder G.
Nat Commun
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The oncomodulin receptor ArmC10 enables axon regeneration in mice after nerve injury and neurite outgrowth in human iPSC-derived sensory neurons.
Authors: Authors: Xie L, Yin Y, Jayakar S, Kawaguchi R, Wang Q, Peterson S, Shi C, Turnes BL, Zhang Z, Oses-Prieto J, Li J, Burlingame A, Woolf CJ, Geschwind D, Rasband M, Benowitz LI.
Sci Transl Med
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Harmonized cross-species cell atlases of trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia.
Authors: Authors: Bhuiyan SA, Xu M, Yang L, Semizoglou E, Bhatia P, Pantaleo KI, Tochitsky I, Jain A, Erdogan B, Blair S, Cat V, Mwirigi JM, Sankaranarayanan I, Tavares-Ferreira D, Green U, McIlvried LA, Copits BA, Bertels Z, Del Rosario JS, Widman AJ, Slivicki RA, Yi J, Woolf CJ, Lennerz JK, Whited JL, Price TJ, Gereau RW, Renthal W.
bioRxiv
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The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity.
Authors: Authors: Woolf C, Taub D, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Greene C, Jain A, He Z, Chen C, Callen A, Yager K, Blanchard M, El-Rifai M, Chung C.
Res Sq
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Integrin-Driven Axon Regeneration in the Spinal Cord Activates a Distinctive CNS Regeneration Program.
Authors: Authors: Cheah M, Cheng Y, Petrova V, Cimpean A, Jendelova P, Swarup V, Woolf CJ, Geschwind DH, Fawcett JW.
J Neurosci
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Nav1.7 gain-of-function mutation I228M triggers age-dependent nociceptive insensitivity and C-LTMR dysregulation.
Authors: Authors: Wimalasena NK, Taub DG, Shim J, Hakim S, Kawaguchi R, Chen L, El-Rifai M, Geschwind DH, Dib-Hajj SD, Waxman SG, Woolf CJ.
Exp Neurol
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The Secondary Somatosensory Cortex Gates Mechanical and Thermal Sensitivity.
Authors: Authors: Taub DG, Jiang Q, Pietrafesa F, Su J, Greene C, Blanchard MR, Jain A, El-Rifai M, Callen A, Yager K, Chung C, He Z, Chen C, Woolf CJ.
bioRxiv
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Crucial neuroprotective roles of the metabolite BH4 in dopaminergic neurons.
Authors: Authors: Cronin SJF, Yu W, Hale A, Licht-Mayer S, Crabtree MJ, Korecka JA, Tretiakov EO, Sealey-Cardona M, Somlyay M, Onji M, An M, Fox JD, Turnes BL, Gomez-Diaz C, da Luz Scheffer D, Cikes D, Nagy V, Weidinger A, Wolf A, Reither H, Chabloz A, Kavirayani A, Rao S, Andrews N, Latremoliere A, Costigan M, Douglas G, Freitas FC, Pifl C, Walz R, Konrat R, Mahad DJ, Koslov AV, Latini A, Isacson O, Harkany T, Hallett PJ, Bagby S, Woolf CJ, Channon KM, Je HS, Penninger JM.
bioRxiv
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