BIDDEFORD — Dr. Derek Molliver is a new faculty hire for the University of New England’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, COBRE, for the study of pain and sensory function and the College of Osteopathic Medicine Biomedical Sciences Department. 

According to a statement from UNE, Molliver brings an exceptional track record as an independent investigator in the pain field and will contribute substantially to the growing pain research program at UNE. 

Previously, Molliver served as an assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition with a secondary appointment in neurobiology. While in Pittsburgh, Molliver joined the highly-regarded Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research where he fostered several productive collaborations and developed his own pain research program. He also engaged in several teaching opportunities, serving as a guest lecturer for an undergraduate/graduate level developmental neurobiology course as well as the molecular basis and clinical presentation of pain course put on by the Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research for basic science trainees and clinical fellows.

In addition to his contributions at the University of Pittsburgh, Molliver has served as a co-chair for the Basic Science Group of the American Pain Society. He has since been appointed to the Scientific Program Committee for the American Pain Society’s annual conference and, more recently, the society’s nominating committee.

Dr. Edward Bilsky, UNE’s vice-president for research and scholarship, director of the Center for Excellence in the neurosciences, and professor of pharmacology, stated: “We are very excited to have Dr. Molliver. He is a well-respected leader in the pain field and will complement the expertise of our neuroscience and biomedical research faculty. His successes in attracting funding from the NIH also help us continue to grow in these areas of high public need.”

As a researcher, Molliver focuses on the role of G-protein coupled receptors, GPCRs, in pain sensation. Molliver has identified a signaling system that could be the basis for novel therapies to alleviate chronic pain.

Molliver’s research not only complements a strong pain research program at UNE dedicated to discovering novel treatments for chronic pain, but it will also contribute substantially to UNE’s growing drug discovery initiative led by Dr. John Streicher, head of the in vitro drug screening core.