Wenqin Luo

Wenqin Luo is a Professor of Neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Penn High Precision Pain Center. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing somatosensation, particularly mechanosensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and Ret signaling pathways.

• MD from Hunan Medical University (1996)
• MS in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Peking Union Medical College (1999)
• PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2005)

Research interests include:

• Development and function of mechanosensory DRG neurons
• Molecular basis of touch sensation and pain transmission
• Ret signaling roles in sensory neuron diversification
• Single-cell RNA sequencing for somatosensory coding
• Neuroimmune interactions in pain pathways
• Automated behavioral analysis systems (e.g., Scratch-AID)

Recent publications highlight work in:

• Mechanosensory circuit assembly (2025)
• Human pain neuroscience (2025)
• Single-soma RNA sequencing of DRG neurons (2024)
• ASIC channel roles in tactile impulses (2024)
• Pain-itch differentiation mechanisms (2023)
• Deep learning for scratching behavior analysis (2022)

Laboratory team includes:

• Jingwen Niu - Postdoctoral Researcher
• Anna Vysochan - Technician & Lab Manager