Michaela Kress

Michaela Kress is full professor at the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Physics Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. Her research focus is on hub regulators of neuroimmune crosstalk in the nervous system and specifically in the pain pathway. These are explored by integrating multiple methodological approaches ranging from behavior phenotyping to expression analysis and electrophysiological recordings from peripheral nerve and from neuronal networks in the brain. Recently the team became interested in non-coding RNAs and their role as hub regulators in the pain system. In particular, the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 and its signal transducer Il-6/gp130 are investigated, and novel models for pain disorders developed with a recent focus on human model systems for developing more personalized treatment options for patients suffering pathological pain.