Assistant Professor, Neuroscience

B.Sc., University of Pittsburgh

Ph.D., Duquesne University

Trillions of bacteria live in and on the surface of the human body. These microorganisms and the metabolites they produce are collectively termed the microbiome and are known to interact with various host cells. We are just beginning to deconstruct the complex, bi-directional signaling that occurs between microbiomes and the peripheral nervous system, but we believe that this type of work will provide fundamental insight into sensory processes that occur in health and disease. In particular, the Sadler Lab is very interested in understanding how tissue-specific microbiomes contribute to normal sensation and how changes in the microbiome contribute to chronic pain. Using a combination of preclinical animal models, healthy human tissues, and patient samples, we ultimately aim to identify novel microbiome-related therapeutic targets for pain management.