Skip to main content
The William Harvey Research Institute - Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
  1. WHRI
  2. People
  3. Academic staff
  4. Items

Professor Shafaq Sikandar

Shafaq

Professor of Sensory Neurophysiology

Centre: Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology

Email: s.sikandar@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6010-5205

Professor Shafaq Sikandar is the group leader of the Sensory Neurophysiology lab at the William Harvey Research Institute. Her research training was based on rodent and human models to study the neurophysiology of pain. Shafaq’s PhD training was in the Pharmacology department of University College London, and she continued postdoctoral training in the Anaesthesiology department of University of California San Diego and in the Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research of UCL. In 2018 she was awarded a Versus Arthritis fellowship and appointed lecturer in sensory biology in the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology.

The Sensory Neurophysiology lab researches neuronal mechanisms underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain, with a focus on musculoskeletal pain and neuro-immune interactions. We use in vivo and back translational approaches with mouse models in combination with molecular biology. Clinical studies are focussed on patients with post-surgical pain, arthritis, cancer pain and fibromyalgia.

Shafaq teaches on BSc modules Repair & regeneration (BMD361) / Disconnected pathways (ICM6013) and is the FMD Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead for Communications and Engagement.

Research

Group members

Dr Sara Caxaria (PDRA); Dr Alice Fuller (PDRA); Ms Sabah Bharde (PhD); Dr Brian Herath (PhD); Ms Romy Evans (PhD); Ms Niloofar Ketahi (PhD); Ms Petek Celik (Technician)

 

Publications

  • Sikandar S (publicationYear). Patient perspectives like mine are missing from parliament’s assisted dying discussions. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Hestehave S, Florea R, Singleton S et al. (2025). Analgesia through FKBP51 inhibition at disease onset confers lasting relief from sensory and emotional chronic pain symptoms. nameOfConference


  • Sikandar S, Ackland GL (2025). Chronic pain: a modifiable target to reduce perioperative cardiovascular morbidity. nameOfConference


  • Haroun R, Gossage SJ, Iseppon F et al. (2024). Novel therapies for cancer-induced bone pain. nameOfConference


  • Eldridge S, Dajas-Bailador F, Chapman V et al. (2024). POS0217 AGRIN HAS A DIRECT ANALGESIC EFFECT IN OSTEOARTHRITIS MODELS.. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Bai Z, Bartelo N, Aslam M et al. (2024). Synovial fibroblast gene expression is associated with sensory nerve growth and pain in rheumatoid arthritis. nameOfConference


  • Dajas-Bailador F, Chapman V, Lucci C et al. (2024). 069 INTRA-ARTICULAR ADMINISTRATION OF AGRIN INDUCES RAPID AND SUSTAINED PAIN RELIEF IN OSTEOARTHRITIS. nameOfConference


  • Bharde S, Caxaria S, Celik P et al. (2024). 754 Sex Differences in a Murine Model of Osteoarthritis. nameOfConference


  • Haroun R, Gossage SJ, Luiz AP et al. (2023). Chemogenetic Silencing of NaV1.8-Positive Sensory Neurons Reverses Chronic Neuropathic and Bone Cancer Pain in FLEx PSAM4-GlyR Mice. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
  • Fuller AM, Bharde S, Sikandar S (publicationYear). The mechanisms and management of persistent postsurgical pain. nameOfConference


    QMRO: qmroHref
View profile publication page

Sponsors

We are grateful to our generous funders:

Collaborators

Internal

External

  • Prof John Wood (UCL)
  • Prof Guilherme Barros (UNESP)

Disclosures

No disclosures.

Back to top