School of Psychology & Neuroscience

Dr Gregory Weir

  • Senior Research Fellow (SPN Research)

email: Gregory.Weir@gla.systa-s.com

Room 306 Sir James Black Building, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Import to contacts

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802

Research interests

Biography 

I received my BA in Physiological Sciences (2007-2010) before completing a DPhil in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (2010-2015), both at the University of Oxford. My DPhil focussed on investigating rare genetic mutations associated with common migraine and was performed under the supervision of Dr Zameel Cader. Pursuing my interest in the biology of sensory neurons, I undertook a four year postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Professor David Bennett (2014-2019) as part of a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award: “Defining pain circuitry in health and disease.” Funded by a Career Development Award from the MRC (2020-2025) and supported by a Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Leadership Fellowship, I am now a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, leading my own research team.

Research interests

My work focusses on gaining insight into sensory neuron biology in health and disease. Sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia are an incredibly heterogeneous population of neurons; tasked with detecting a range of sensations including touch, itch, warmth, cooling and nociception. While much knowledge has been accrued as to the molecular profile of molecularly distinct sensory neurons, the functional roles they play in normal sensation are still unclear. Less still is understood as to which populations contribute to different aspects of pathological pain, for example following damage to the nervous system (neuropathic pain). Better knowledge of the neural circuits underlying normal nociception and pathological pain states will help advance our efforts to develop novel analgesics to meet the clinical need of pain.

I am particularly interested in using new tools available to neuroscience in order to control the activity of discreet neuronal populations. In doing so we can begin to ask fundamental questions on the role these neurons play in the sensation of pain. We have developed a chemogenetic approach capable of long-term and non-invasive neuronal silencing, which we can target to discreet populations. We are using this approach, in combination with electrophysiological recordings and advanced neuroanatomical techniques, to investigate the drivers of pathological pain.

 

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2026 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
Number of items: 20.

2026

Chrysostomidou, P. et al. (2026) Macrophages amplify spontaneous activity of damaged sensory neurons in a human co-culture model of neuropathic pain. Brain, (doi: 10.1093/brain/awag088) (PMID:41793058) (Early Online Publication)

2024

Cooper, Andrew H. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4737-9364, Barry, Allison M., Chrysostomidou, Paschalina, Lolignier, Romane, Wang, Jinyi, Redondo Canales, Magdalena ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9957-1716, Titterton, Heather F., Bennett, David L. and Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 (2024) Peripheral nerve injury results in a biased loss of sensory neuron sub-populations. Pain, 165(12), pp. 2863-2876. (doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003321) (PMID:39158319) (PMCID:PMC11562755)

Bell, A. M. et al. (2024) Deep sequencing of Phox2a nuclei reveals five classes of anterolateral system neurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(23), e231421312. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.2314213121) (PMID:38805282)

2023

Middleton, Steven J., Hu, Huimin, Perez-Sanchez, Jimena, Zuberi, Sana, McGrath Williams, Joseph, Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Bennett, David L. (2023) GluCl.CreON enables selective inhibition of molecularly defined pain circuits. Pain, 164(12), pp. 2780-2791. (doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002976) (PMID:37366588) (PMCID:PMC10652717)

Boyle, K. A. et al. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. eLife, 12, RP86633. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.86633) (PMID:37490401) (PMCID:PMC10392120)

Gutierrez-Mecinas, Maria ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7323-4647, Kókai, Éva, Polgár, Erika, Quillet, Raphaëlle, Titterton, Heather F., Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Watanabe, Masahiko and Todd, Andrew J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3007-6749 (2023) Antibodies against the gastrin-releasing peptide precursor pro-gastrin-releasing peptide reveal its expression in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. Neuroscience, 510, pp. 60-71. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.023) (PMID:36581131)

2022

Middleton, S. J. et al. (2022) Nav1.7 is required for normal C-low threshold mechanoreceptor function in humans and mice. Brain, 145(10), pp. 3637-3653. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awab482) (PMID:34957475) (PMCID:PMC9586547)

2021

Chrysostomidou, Lina, Cooper, Andrew H. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4737-9364 and Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 (2021) Cellular models of pain: new technologies and their potential to progress preclinical research. Neurobiology of Pain, 10, 100063. (doi: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100063)

2020

Baskozos, G. et al. (2020) Molecular and cellular correlates of human nerve regeneration: ADCYAP1/PACAP enhance nerve outgrowth. Brain, 143(7), pp. 2009-2026. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa163) (PMID:32651949) (PMCID:PMC7462094)

2019

Pettingill, P. et al. (2019) A causal role for TRESK loss of function in migraine mechanisms. Brain, 142(12), pp. 3852-3867. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awz342) (PMID:31742594) (PMCID:PMC6906598)

Calvo, M. et al. (2019) The genetics of neuropathic pain from model organisms to clinical application. Neuron, 104(4), pp. 637-653. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.018) (PMID:31751545)

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Pettingill, Philippa, Wu, Yukyee, Duggal, Galbha, Ilie, Andrei-Sorin, Akerman, Colin J. and Cader, M. Zameel (2019) The role of TRESK in discrete sensory neuron populations and somatosensory processing. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 12, 170. (doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00170) (PMID:31379497) (PMCID:PMC6650782)

McDermott, L. A. et al. (2019) Defining the functional role of NaV1.7 in human nociception. Neuron, 101(5), 905-919.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.047) (PMID:30795902) (PMCID:PMC6424805)

2018

Dawes, J. M. et al. (2018) Immune or genetic-mediated disruption of CASPR2 causes pain hypersensitivity due to enhanced primary afferent excitability. Neuron, 97(4), 806-822.e10. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.033) (PMID:29429934)

2017

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Middleton, Steven J., Clark, Alex J., Daniel, Tarun, Khovanov, Nikita, McMahon, Stephen B. and Bennett, David L. (2017) Using an engineered glutamate-gated chloride channel to silence sensory neurons and treat neuropathic pain at the source. Brain, 140(10), pp. 2570-2585. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awx201) (PMID:28969375) (PMCID:PMC5841150)

2016

Dafinca, R. et al. (2016) C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansions are associated with altered endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis and stress granule formation in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Stem Cells, 34(8), pp. 2063-2078. (doi: 10.1002/stem.2388) (PMID:27097283) (PMCID:PMC4979662)

Sleigh, James N., Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Schiavo, Giampietro (2016) A simple, step-by-step dissection protocol for the rapid isolation of mouse dorsal root ganglia. BMC Research Notes, 9, 82. (doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-1915-8) (PMID:26864470) (PMCID:PMC4750296)

2013

Wright, Paul D., Weir, Gregory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Cartland, Jamie, Tickle, David, Kettleborough, Catherine, Cader, M. Zameel and Jerman, Jeff (2013) Cloxyquin (5-chloroquinolin-8-ol) is an activator of the two-pore domain potassium channel TRESK. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 441(2), pp. 463-468. (doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.10.090) (PMID:24383077)

2012

Janssen, Bert J.C., Malinauskas, Tomas, Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Cader, M. Zameel, Siebold, Christian and E. Yvonne, Jones (2012) Neuropilins lock secreted semaphorins onto plexins in a ternary signaling complex. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 19(12), pp. 1293-1299. (doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2416) (PMID:23104057) (PMCID:PMC3590443)

2011

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Cader, M. Zameel (2011) New directions in migraine. BMC Medicine, 9, 116. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-116) (PMID:22027350) (PMCID:PMC3217871)

This list was generated on Sun Apr 12 13:48:06 2026 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 20.

Articles

Chrysostomidou, P. et al. (2026) Macrophages amplify spontaneous activity of damaged sensory neurons in a human co-culture model of neuropathic pain. Brain, (doi: 10.1093/brain/awag088) (PMID:41793058) (Early Online Publication)

Cooper, Andrew H. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4737-9364, Barry, Allison M., Chrysostomidou, Paschalina, Lolignier, Romane, Wang, Jinyi, Redondo Canales, Magdalena ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9957-1716, Titterton, Heather F., Bennett, David L. and Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 (2024) Peripheral nerve injury results in a biased loss of sensory neuron sub-populations. Pain, 165(12), pp. 2863-2876. (doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003321) (PMID:39158319) (PMCID:PMC11562755)

Bell, A. M. et al. (2024) Deep sequencing of Phox2a nuclei reveals five classes of anterolateral system neurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(23), e231421312. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.2314213121) (PMID:38805282)

Middleton, Steven J., Hu, Huimin, Perez-Sanchez, Jimena, Zuberi, Sana, McGrath Williams, Joseph, Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Bennett, David L. (2023) GluCl.CreON enables selective inhibition of molecularly defined pain circuits. Pain, 164(12), pp. 2780-2791. (doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002976) (PMID:37366588) (PMCID:PMC10652717)

Boyle, K. A. et al. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. eLife, 12, RP86633. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.86633) (PMID:37490401) (PMCID:PMC10392120)

Gutierrez-Mecinas, Maria ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7323-4647, Kókai, Éva, Polgár, Erika, Quillet, Raphaëlle, Titterton, Heather F., Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Watanabe, Masahiko and Todd, Andrew J. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3007-6749 (2023) Antibodies against the gastrin-releasing peptide precursor pro-gastrin-releasing peptide reveal its expression in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. Neuroscience, 510, pp. 60-71. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.023) (PMID:36581131)

Middleton, S. J. et al. (2022) Nav1.7 is required for normal C-low threshold mechanoreceptor function in humans and mice. Brain, 145(10), pp. 3637-3653. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awab482) (PMID:34957475) (PMCID:PMC9586547)

Chrysostomidou, Lina, Cooper, Andrew H. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4737-9364 and Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 (2021) Cellular models of pain: new technologies and their potential to progress preclinical research. Neurobiology of Pain, 10, 100063. (doi: 10.1016/j.ynpai.2021.100063)

Baskozos, G. et al. (2020) Molecular and cellular correlates of human nerve regeneration: ADCYAP1/PACAP enhance nerve outgrowth. Brain, 143(7), pp. 2009-2026. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awaa163) (PMID:32651949) (PMCID:PMC7462094)

Pettingill, P. et al. (2019) A causal role for TRESK loss of function in migraine mechanisms. Brain, 142(12), pp. 3852-3867. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awz342) (PMID:31742594) (PMCID:PMC6906598)

Calvo, M. et al. (2019) The genetics of neuropathic pain from model organisms to clinical application. Neuron, 104(4), pp. 637-653. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.018) (PMID:31751545)

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Pettingill, Philippa, Wu, Yukyee, Duggal, Galbha, Ilie, Andrei-Sorin, Akerman, Colin J. and Cader, M. Zameel (2019) The role of TRESK in discrete sensory neuron populations and somatosensory processing. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 12, 170. (doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00170) (PMID:31379497) (PMCID:PMC6650782)

McDermott, L. A. et al. (2019) Defining the functional role of NaV1.7 in human nociception. Neuron, 101(5), 905-919.e8. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.01.047) (PMID:30795902) (PMCID:PMC6424805)

Dawes, J. M. et al. (2018) Immune or genetic-mediated disruption of CASPR2 causes pain hypersensitivity due to enhanced primary afferent excitability. Neuron, 97(4), 806-822.e10. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.01.033) (PMID:29429934)

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Middleton, Steven J., Clark, Alex J., Daniel, Tarun, Khovanov, Nikita, McMahon, Stephen B. and Bennett, David L. (2017) Using an engineered glutamate-gated chloride channel to silence sensory neurons and treat neuropathic pain at the source. Brain, 140(10), pp. 2570-2585. (doi: 10.1093/brain/awx201) (PMID:28969375) (PMCID:PMC5841150)

Dafinca, R. et al. (2016) C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansions are associated with altered endoplasmic reticulum calcium homeostasis and stress granule formation in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Stem Cells, 34(8), pp. 2063-2078. (doi: 10.1002/stem.2388) (PMID:27097283) (PMCID:PMC4979662)

Sleigh, James N., Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Schiavo, Giampietro (2016) A simple, step-by-step dissection protocol for the rapid isolation of mouse dorsal root ganglia. BMC Research Notes, 9, 82. (doi: 10.1186/s13104-016-1915-8) (PMID:26864470) (PMCID:PMC4750296)

Wright, Paul D., Weir, Gregory ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Cartland, Jamie, Tickle, David, Kettleborough, Catherine, Cader, M. Zameel and Jerman, Jeff (2013) Cloxyquin (5-chloroquinolin-8-ol) is an activator of the two-pore domain potassium channel TRESK. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 441(2), pp. 463-468. (doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.10.090) (PMID:24383077)

Janssen, Bert J.C., Malinauskas, Tomas, Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802, Cader, M. Zameel, Siebold, Christian and E. Yvonne, Jones (2012) Neuropilins lock secreted semaphorins onto plexins in a ternary signaling complex. Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, 19(12), pp. 1293-1299. (doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2416) (PMID:23104057) (PMCID:PMC3590443)

Weir, Greg A. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6330-2802 and Cader, M. Zameel (2011) New directions in migraine. BMC Medicine, 9, 116. (doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-116) (PMID:22027350) (PMCID:PMC3217871)

This list was generated on Sun Apr 12 13:48:06 2026 BST.

Supervision

Supervised Postgraduate Students

  • Siobhan Adesida (Postgraduate)
  • Aimi Nadia Razlan (Postgraduate)
  • Laura Schino (Postgraduate)

Research Assistants

Supervisor

Research datasets

Jump to: 2023
Number of items: 1.

2023

Todd, A. , Boyle, K., Polgar, E., Gutierrez-Mecinas, M. , Dickie, A., Cooper, A., Bell, A., Jumolea, M. E., Casas-Benito, A., Watanabe, M., Hughes, D., Weir, G. and Riddell, J. (2023) Neuropeptide Y-expressing dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons gate spinal pain and itch signalling. [Data Collection]

This list was generated on Sun Apr 12 13:48:07 2026 BST.

Gregory Weir

Dr Gregory Weir on Twitter