Johns Hopkins University · NeuroscienceDong Lab
Xinzhong Dong · Baltimore, Maryland
Research Focus
Dr. Xinzhong Dong's lab focuses on understanding chronic itch, a condition that severely impacts patients' lives. They study the role of specific receptors in sensory neurons responsible for itch sensation, especially in response to various diseases and drugs. Their work aims to reveal the biological mechanisms behind itch and facilitate the creation of new treatments for it.
chronic itchitch receptorsMrgprA1drug-induced itchallergic contact dermatitis
Research Aims
3AIM 01Test how certain drugs activate itch receptors directly in sensory neurons.
AIM 02Investigate the role of MrgprA1 in allergic contact dermatitis and its activation by nearby mast cells.
AIM 03Explore how bile acids contribute to uremic itch in specific mouse models.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse geneticsin vitro pharmacologyelectrophysiologyin vivo imagingCa2+ imaging
Output against the department
Publications278top 25% of dept.169th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations20ktop 22% of dept.145th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.