MOSAIC Systems Health & Pain Science Lab
Goals
Our VIP team goal is to help bridge the gap between bench and bedside in a cutting-edge pain and recovery research program that combines mouse models, molecular assays, and real-world surgical patients.
We are recruiting highly motivated students to join a translational pain research program that directly connects basic science to real patients. In our wet lab, students will work with mouse models of postoperative and chronic pain, learning hands on techniques such as animal handling, behavioral testing, tissue and blood collection, and sample processing for downstream analyses of redox and immune biomarkers. All procedures are conducted under approved IACUC protocols with structured training and close supervision, making this a strong fit for students interested in neuroscience, physiology, immunology, or future PhD and MD training.
A complementary arm of the project focuses on human participants undergoing elective surgery at our clinical research sites. Students in this track will help with patient facing activities, including prescreening and recruitment, supporting informed consent procedures, administering electronic surveys, coordinating study visits, and assisting with blood collection and processing and data entry. These roles are ideal for students considering careers in physical therapy, medicine, nursing, public health, or clinical research, and offer direct experience with IRB regulated human subjects studies and NIH style team science. This work is embedded in an NIH funded translational pain and musculoskeletal research program and related early career scholar applications at the University of Arizona.
Issues Involved or Addressed
Our team works at the intersection of neuroscience, rehabilitation, and clinical pain research to understand why some people recover smoothly after surgery while others develop long-lasting pain and fatigue. We study how the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems respond to injury, how factors like stress, sleep, movement, and medications shape those responses, and whether low-risk interventions such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can improve recovery and reduce the need for opioids.
Key issues we explore include:
- Biological drivers of pain, inflammation, and tissue healing after surgery
- How oxidative stress and redox balance relate to pain and function
- Mouse models of postoperative pain to test mechanisms and potential treatments
- Patient reported outcomes, mood, and sleep in the weeks after surgery
- How physical activity and rehabilitation relate to biological markers and pain
- Prediction of who is at risk for poor recovery using clinical data and biomarkers
Methods and Tech
Methods and techniques used in this project span both basic science and clinical research so students can see how the same questions are tackled in mice and in people. On the lab side, students can learn animal handling, postoperative pain behavior testing, drug dosing (such as N-acetylcysteine), and standardized collection and processing of blood and tissue samples for downstream analyses of inflammation, redox balance, and related biomarkers. On the clinical side, students can assist with participant screening and recruitment, informed consent support, survey administration, basic functional testing, and observe blood sample collection and processing in a research clinic environment.
Examples of approaches students may be exposed to include:
- Mouse models of postoperative pain with standardized behavioral assays
- Wet lab skills such as pipetting, sample storage, ELISA and multiplex assays for cytokines and oxidative stress markers
- Clinical research workflows including consent processes, REDCap data entry, and secure data management
- Use of validated questionnaires for pain, function, mood, and sleep, plus brief in clinic physical performance measures
Academic Majors of Interest
This team is open to students from a broad range of majors who are interested in pain, recovery, and translational health research. Both clinically oriented and laboratory or data-oriented students are encouraged to apply, and no prior research experience is required.
Majors and programs of particular interest include:
- Physiology and Medical Sciences
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
- Public Health and Epidemiology
- Psychological Science
- Biomedical Engineering and Systems Engineering
- Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Data Science, Statistics, and Applied Mathematics
- Nutritional Sciences
- Nursing, Medicine, and Pre-Med tracks
- Rehabilitation and Movement Sciences, Kinesiology, Exercise Science
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Preferred Interests and Preparation
- Skills:
- Basic biology, physiology, or neuroscience coursework
- Comfortable interacting with patients or research participants
- Interest in learning wet lab techniques (pipetting, sample handling, assays)
- Interest in learning animal research methods under close supervision
- Willingness to learn REDCap or similar data entry tools
- Attributes:
- Reliable, organized, and punctual
- Respectful and professional in clinical and lab environments
- Comfortable working as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Curious and eager to ask questions and seek feedback
- Able to follow detailed protocols and safety procedures
- Interested in pain, recovery, rehabilitation, or translational research
- Willing to commit consistent time each week across semesters
Application Process
To express interest in this team, please complete the VIP Interest Form and select "MOSAIC Systems Health & Pain Science Lab."
This team:
- Accepts students at the start of each semester
- Recruits students for both credit and Federal Work Study options (as available) for team participation