Grégory Scherrer

Grégory Scherrer, PharmD, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine with joint appointments in the Department of Cell Biology & Physiology and the Department of Pharmacology. His research focuses on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying pain perception and opioid analgesia, investigating how the nervous system generates the sensory, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of pain experience.

Dr. Scherrer's research interests center on pain neurobiology and opioid systems, with particular emphasis on elucidating the mechanisms by which neural circuits generate pain at genetic, molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels. His work investigates the functional organization of the endogenous opioid system and the localization, trafficking, and signaling properties of opioid receptors in neurons to understand both pain relief and harmful side effects including tolerance, addiction, and respiratory depression.

His publication record demonstrates consistent high-impact contributions to the field, with recent articles in top journals including Nature, Cell, and Science. The research trends show an increasing focus on circuit-level understanding of pain processing and the development of more targeted therapeutic approaches that minimize side effects while maintaining analgesic efficacy.

Dr. Scherrer has received numerous prestigious awards for his research, including:

• 2023 NIH HEAL Initiative Director's Award for Excellence in Research in the Pain and Addiction Fields
• 2021 Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award
• 2020 McKnight Foundation Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award
• 2017 New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Robertson Neuroscience Investigator Award
• 2015 International Narcotics Research Conference (INRC) Young Investigator Award
• 2014 Rita Allen Foundation / American Pain Society (APS) Scholar Award
• 2011 NIH/NIDA K99R00 Pathway to Independence Award
• 2009 International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Fellowship

Through his NIH-funded research program, Dr. Scherrer has established himself as a leader in pain neuroscience, with particular expertise in neural circuit mechanisms of pain and opioid action. His work bridges basic science discoveries with translational applications for developing more effective and safer pain treatments while addressing the opioid crisis through understanding addiction mechanisms.

The Scherrer Lab maintains a strong research program investigating the neurobiological basis of pain and opioids, employing state-of-the-art techniques including optogenetics, chemogenetics, in vivo calcium imaging, and molecular pharmacology to map neural circuits and understand molecular mechanisms underlying pain perception and opioid action.