Rate My Professor John Dawes

John Dawes is Associate Professor in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, where he serves as Principal Investigator in the Neural Injury Group and Course Director for the MSc in Pain Neurosciences. Affiliated with Wadham College, his research centers on the contribution of the immune system to pathological pain states, with a particular emphasis on autoantibodies. It is now well established that the immune system contributes to pathological pain states and one relatively under-studied aspect of this is through the action of autoantibodies. Neuropathic pain is common in patients with autoantibodies directed against components of the voltage-gated potassium channel complex such as CASPR2 and LGI1. By using patient samples in combination with basic pain research, Dawes aims to better understand the mechanisms of autoantibody-mediated pain, uncover novel molecular pathways regulating pain sensitivity, and reveal clinically relevant targets for future therapies. He collaborates with experts including Professor David Bennett in Neurology and Neurobiology and Sarosh Irani in the Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group.