Joel Castro Kraftchenko

Dr. Joel Castro Kraftchenko is a Principal Investigator and Head of the Endometriosis Research Unit at the Visceral Pain Research Group, located at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He holds an affiliation with the University of Adelaide's School of Biomedicine under the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. His research focuses on visceral nociception, chronic visceral pain associated with endometriosis, and the molecular mechanisms governing sensory afferent function.

• Expertise: Visceral pain mechanisms, ion channel/receptor research, animal models of endometriosis.
• Techniques: Developed methods to study sensory fibers in health/disease states.

Research Interests:
Dr. Castro’s work addresses how pain signals are detected from visceral organs, particularly in endometriosis. He investigates ion channel dysregulation and proposes non-invasive treatments for chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Recent projects include validating monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic applications and exploring gut microbiota's role in cancer treatment side effects.

Grants & Funding:

• NHMRC Ideas Grant (2024-2027): Validating an immunotherapeutic approach for endometriosis.
• NHMRC Ideas Grant (2020-2024): Decoding endometriosis-related chronic pain mechanisms.
• Endometriosis Australia Foundation Grant (2021-2022): Identifying inflammatory mediators.

Labs & Teams:
Leads the Visceral Pain Laboratory (SAHMRI) and collaborates on projects involving the Hospital Research Foundation Group and University of Melbourne researchers.