Thomas Voets

Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 3 (TRPM3) is a non-selective, Ca2+-permeable ion channel that plays a pivotal role in peripheral thermosensation and nociception. Moreover, gain-of-function variants in TRPM3 underlie a spectrum of ne…

The transient receptor potential melastatin 3 (TRPM3) channel is a key mediator of peripheral pain signaling, and pathogenic mutations in TRPM3 are linked to neurodevelopmental delay and epilepsy. Despite the therapeutic promise of TRPM3 mo…

Trigeminal nerve injury can lead to chronic and difficult-to-treat orofacial neuropathic pain. Here, we uncover a key role for the cation channel TRPM3 in the chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (IoN-CCI) mouse model of tr…

Endometriosis-associated pain has debilitating effects on the quality of life of patients. Despite its high prevalence in reproductive-aged women, the pathophysiology is still unknown, impeding the development of targeted treatment approach…

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are a broad and varied group of disorders that affect the brain and are characterized by epilepsy and comorbid intellectual disability (ID). These conditions have a broad spectrum of sympto…

TRPM3 is an ion channel that is highly expressed in nociceptive neurons and plays a key role in pain perception. In the presence of the endogenous TRPM3 ligand, pregnenolone sulfate (PS), the antifungal compound clotrimazole (Clt) augments …

TRPM3 is a temperature- and neurosteroid-sensitive plasma membrane cation channel expressed in a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Recently, rare de novo variants in TRPM3 were identified in individuals with developmental and epil…

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike-and-wave activation in sleep (CSWS) or DEE-SWAS is an age-dependent disease, often accompanied by a decline in cognitive abilities. Early successful treatment of CSWS is assoc…

BACKGROUND: Early embryo implantation is a complex phenomenon characterized by the presence of an implantation-competent blastocyst and a receptive endometrium. Embryo development and endometrial receptivity must be synchronized and an adeq…

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain (CIPNP) is an adverse effect observed in up to 80% of patients of cancer on treatment with cytostatic drugs including paclitaxel and oxaliplatin. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic p…

The transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPV2 is widely expressed in a variety of different cell types and tissues. However, elucidating the exact biological functions of TRPV2 is significantly hampered by the lack of selective pharm…

Background and purposeTransient receptor potential melastatin 3 (TRPM3) is a non-selective cation channel that plays a pivotal role in the peripheral nervous system as a transducer of painful heat signals. Alternative splicing gives rise to…

During the molecular transduction of itch, the stimulation of pruriceptors on sensory fibers leads to the activation or sensitization of ion channels, which results in a consequent depolarization of the neurons. These ion channels mostly be…

Chronic pain treatment remains a sore challenge, and in our aging society, the number of patients reporting inadequate pain relief continues to grow. Current treatment options all have their drawbacks, including limited efficacy and the pro…

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels excel in cellular sensing as they allow rapid ion influx across the plasma membrane in response to a variety of extracellular cues. Recently, a distinct TRP mRNA expression signature was observed …

Background and purposeThe transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel TRPM3 functions as a noxious heat sensor, plays a key role in acute pain sensation and inflammatory hyperalgesia in rodents. Despite its potential as a novel analgesic…

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by epilepsy with comorbid intellectual disability. Recently, two de novo heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding TRPM3, a calcium pe…

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecologic disease, defined by dysfunctional endometrium-like lesions outside of the uterine cavity. These lesions are presumably established via retrograde menstruation, i.e., endometrial tissue that flows bac…

Humans detect skin temperature changes that are perceived as warm or cool. Like humans, mice report forepaw skin warming with perceptual thresholds of less than 1°C and do not confuse warm with cool. We identify two populations of polymodal…

Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of the heat-activated cation channel TRPM3 alleviates inflammatory heat hyperalgesia, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We induced unilateral inflammation of the hind paw in mice, and …

Successful pregnancy requires the establishment of a complex dialogue between the implanting embryo and the endometrium. Knowledge regarding molecular candidates involved in this early communication process is inadequate due to limited acce…

Detecting and avoiding noxious heat is crucial to prevent burn injury. While the nociceptor neurons involved in conveying heat-induced pain were identified more than a century ago, the molecular sensors responsible for detecting noxious hea…

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a family of functionally diverse and widely expressed cation channels involved in a variety of cell signaling and sensory pathways. Research in the last two decades has not only shed light on …