New Publication from CHINTA and IISc
We are thrilled to share a new publication in 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 by researchers from CHINTA, TCG-CREST, Kolkata and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
This study uncovers a brain circuit underlying cold allodynia, a painful condition experienced by many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (CIPN), where even mild cold is perceived as painful. Using advanced neuroscience approaches like in vivo calcium imaging, electrophysiology, opto and chemogenetics, the authors identified a pathway connecting the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) to the parafascicular (PF) thalamus that plays a central role in both the sensory and emotional dimensions of cold pain. These findings provide key insights into how the brain processes pain and identify a promising target for developing therapies to alleviate CIPN.
Congratulations to the Barik lab and the Jain lab on this achievement!
MOOSE v4.3.0 Lavang Latika is here!
We are excited to announce MOOSE v4.3.0 Lavang Latika – a significant release that brings two powerful new libraries to MOOSE: a ready-to-use ion channel collection drawn from over 2,300 published models, and a clean neuron morphology toolkit for working with SWC files. The release also includes targeted bug fixes that improve expression evaluation and SWC loading.
Explore it here: https://www.mooseneuro.org/news/moose-v430-news/
Dr. Agnik Dasgupta receives the Early Career Grant by ANRF
We give our heartiest Congratulations to Dr. Agnik Dasgupta, who has been awarded the ‘PM Early Career Research Grant’ by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), for the project titled – “An Integrative Framework to Decipher in vivo Regulators of Hair Cell Development and Regeneration”
CHINTA’s First Co-Affiliated Work with Centre for Neuroscience (IISc) Published
CHINTA’s co-affiliated work with the Center for Neuroscience (IISc), titled “Lateral hypothalamus directs stress-induced modulation of acute and psoriatic itch” was recently published in the journal Cell Reports (March 2026). Article highlights include: LHA neurons mediate stress modulation of itch, LHA neurons are sufficient and necessary for stress-induced itch suppression, LHA neurons are potentiated by chronic psoriatic itch, stress-sensitive LHA neurons mediate itch through downstream PAG neurons.
Read the paper here: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(26)00103-8
Dr. Shona Chattarji Awarded Wellcome Trust’s Target Validation Grant in Mental Health Programme
Prof. Sumantra Chattarji has been awarded a prestigious collaborative grant under the Wellcome Trust Target Validation program for novel mental health drug discovery, in partnership with Dr. Tom Otis (Lario Therapeutics) & Prof. Sonja B Hofer. This two-year collaboration will focus on validating CaV2.3 as a therapeutic target for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leveraging Lario’s small molecule inhibitors of CaV2.3 which are selective and brain-penetrant. This grant is also a vital step towards solving complex mental health disorders such as PTSD and it’s lifelong effects.
