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Ratan K. Banik, MBBS, PhD
Area of Specialty: Research Scientist, Neurophysiology
Professional Appointments: Research Scientist , JFK Medical Center, Edison, New Jersey.
Academic Appointments: Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Seton Hall University School of Graduate Medical Education, South Orange, New Jersey.
Graduate Education: 1997-2002: Doctor of Philosophy, Nagoya University, Japan;
1988-1995: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Dhaka University, Bangladesh
PROFESSIONAL Memberships:
2000- Society for Neuroscience
2000-2005 American Physiological Society
2004- American Pain Society
1998-2002 Physiological Society of Japan
1996- Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council
Honors and Awards: National Institute of Health, R21 AG030352 (PI), American Federation for Aging Research Grant (PI), American Pain Society Young Investigator Travel Award 2008; American Pain Society Young Investigator Travel Award 2004; Graduate student fellowship for foreign students by Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Technology (Monbu-sho), Japan (1997-2002).
Research Interest:
The major research interest of my laboratory is to understand mechanisms of chronic neuropathic pain. Chronic pain presents life-long agony for millions of sufferers since there is no effective pharmacotherapy available. In light of the significant increases in the incidence of diabetes, road traffic accidents, tuberculosis, cancer and major surgical interventions leading to chronic pain states, it is likely that this problem will continue to present challenges to treatment. A major complaint of neuropathic pain patients is constant burning together with intermittent pain often described as shooting, electric shock-like, the feeling of walking on broken glass, or the sensation of bugs crawling under skin. The mechanism underlying this spontaneous neuropathic pain is not well understood. It is widely believed that abnormal spontaneous activity of the peripheral pain sensing afferents may, in part, be responsible. The relatively few explanations have been advanced to explain why and how afferents fire spontaneously in neuropathic pain states. Our current research is focusing on defining and exploring receptors or ion channels responsible for spontaneous activity of afferents, which may be targeted for therapeutic purposes.
Lab member: Francois Kouya, PhD, Post-doctoral fellow.
Representative Publications:
Banik RK, Brennan TJ, Sensitization of primary afferents to mechanical and heat stimuli after incision in a novel in vitro mouse glabrous skin-nerve preparation, Pain 2008, in press.
Banik RK, Aging: blessing or danger for individuals with painful conditions, Pain 2007, 132: 337-8.
Banik RK, Why standard pain management needs to modified for elderly people, Journal of New Jersey Neuroscience Institute 2007, Vol 2. Issue 2. Pg 15-20. Review
Banik RK , Woo YC, Park, SS, Brennan TJ. Strain and gender influence on pain sensitivity after plantar incision in the mouse. Anesthesiology 2006 Dec; 105(6): 1246-53.
Banik RK. Short-lasting effect of perineural resiniferatoxin on mechanical hyperalgesia. Anesthesia Analgesia 2005; 101: 1559-60 ‘Letter to the Editor'.
Banik RK , Subieta A and Brennan TJ. Increased Nerve growth factor after rat plantar incision contributed to guarding behavior and heat hyperalgesia. Pain 117(2005):68-76.
Mizumura K, Sugiur T, Koda H, Katanosaka K, Banik RK , Giron R, Tominaga M. Pain and Bradykinin Receptors--sensory transduction mechanism in the nociceptor terminals and expression change of bradykinin receptors in inflamed condition. Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi. 2005 Feb;25(1):33-8.
Sato J, Yajima H, Banik RK , Kumazawa T and Mizumura K. Norepinephrine reduces heat responses of cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors in Sprague-Dawley rats in vitro, Neuroscience Letters, 2005 Apr 18;378(2):111-6 .
Banik RK and Brennan TJ . Spontaneous discharge and increased heat sensitivity of rat C-fiber nociceptors are present in vitro after plantar incision. Pain 112 (2004) 204-13 .
Banik RK , Sato J and Mizumura K. Interactions of bradykinin and norepinephrine on rat cutaneous nociceptors in both normal and inflamed conditions in vitro . Neuroscience Research , 2004 ; Volume 49, Issue 4, Pages 421-425.
Banik RK , Kasai M and Mizumura K. Reexamination of the Difference in Susceptibility to Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis among LEW/Crj , Std: Wistar/ST and Slc: SD Rats. Experimental Animals 2002; 51(2): 00-00.
Banik RK , Sato J, Yajima H and Mizumura K. Differences between Lewis and Sprague Dawley rats in chronic inflammation induced norepinephrine sensitivity of C-fiber nociceptors. Neuroscience Letters 2001; 299(1): 21-24.
Banik RK , Kozaki Y, Sato Y, Gera L and Mizumura K. B2 receptor mediated increased bradykinin sensitivity of C-fiber nociceptors innervating rat hairy skin during persistent inflammation. Journal of Neurophysiology 2001; 86(6): 2727-2735.
Banik RK , Kasai M and Mizumura K. Strong susceptibility of Lewis rats to adjuvant arthritis in comparison with the Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. Environmental Medicine 2000; 44(2): 69-71.
Banik RK , Sato J, Yajima H and Mizumura K. Further evidence of norepinephrine excitation in adjuvant arthritis. Environmental Medicine 1999; 43 (2): 91-94.
Editorial Position: Editorial consultant- Gender Medicine; Ad hoc Reviewer- Anesthesiology, Neuroscience Letters, Journal of Rheumatology, European Journal of Pain, and Bio-Drugs.