• Ph.D. Medical Pharmacology

  • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States

  • Neurokinin 1 receptors and their role in opioid-induced hyperalgesia, antinociceptive tolerance, and reward

• B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Molecular and Cellular Biology

  • University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States

  • Oxycodone plus ultra-low-dose naltrexone attenuates neuropathic pain and associated mu-opioid receptor-Gs coupling

Erika Liktor-Busa is currently a senior scientist at the Largent-Milnes lab, studying the underlying mechanism of pain disorders, including migraine. One of her research interests focuses on how the endocannabinoid system can influence brain functions, pain responses, and blood-brain barrier permeability. Her work was awarded the “Frontiers in Headache Research” Award by the American Headache Society in 2019. When she is not in the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends or working on interior design projects.

Manvir Kaur studies the neural mechanisms underlying migraine pain and light sensitivity. She is particularly interested in how sensory pathways process and amplify pain signals during migraine. Manvir is passionate about using translational neuroscience to bridge laboratory discoveries with better treatments for people living with migraine.

My career in scientific research began in high school when I got a summer job washing
glassware for a local Tucson research lab. Nine years later, I knew how to operate every
instrument and perform all the analytical assays, sparking a life-long interest. After
receiving a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona, I have spent the last 23+
years working in UofA research labs.
As a member of the Largent-Milnes’ lab, my primary research focus is on testing novel
compounds to either replace opioids for analgesia or mitigate negative side-effects such
as opioid induced respiratory depression and addiction; topics which I feel are extremely
relevant in our current world. In pursuit of these aims, I have become proficient in
various pain models and behavior assays- the tools with which we screen candidate
compounds. Aside from conducting my own studies, I am also involved with the day-to-
day operations of the lab and helping the graduate and undergraduate students with
their research.

My name is Wanjiru Kamau-Devers and I’m from Oakland, CA. I’m an Wanjiru Kamau-Devers in the
medical scientist training program. I love to read and to travel.
My research project is about developmental opioid exposure and lung health. I use patient data
to research the association of different respiratory diagnoses with prenatal opioid exposure. I
analyze adolescent and adult mouse lungs exposed to opioids for markers of inflammation and
respiratory dysfunction.

I am a second-year PhD student in the Medical Pharmacology program with a minor in
Physiology. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in
Biochemistry from the University of Arizona. Outside of the lab, I enjoy spending quality
time with friends and family, singing, and hiking. My research focuses on the
neurovascular consequences of substance use, particularly in the context of migraine
and stroke. I am currently investigating how the endocannabinoid 2-
arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) contribute to
vascular dysfunction in models of medication overuse headache and ischemic stroke.
Using pressure myography, molecular biology, and patch electrophysiology techniques,
I study how these pathways affect cerebral arterial tone and inflammation. The goal of
my work is to identify novel therapeutic targets to reduce neurovascular damage in
substance-related neurological disorders.

  Anya was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. Throughout the years, she's enjoyed growing her baking and craft skills. She has also raised four puppies, ten litters of kittens, and millions of cells. 

Anya is studying the endocannabinoid system's role in medication overuse headache (MOH) which is a secondary headache one develops when trying to alleviate the pain of the primary headache (migraine). She is investigating the efficacy of KT182 which is an irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme ABHD6 that breaks down 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), a cannabinoid receptor agonist, to prevent the onset of neuroinflammation that could be happening during MOH. Anya aims to incorporate her background of psychology to her work to bring an interdisciplinary empathetic lens to her research

My name is Beth Wiese, PhD, I am a harm reduction scientist with a goal to end preventable deaths from opioids. While co-leading a grassroots harm reduction non-profit in Tucson during my PhD, my expertise as a scientist built on my prior lived experience navigating Opioid Use Disorder with training in neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, philosophy, and the mechanisms of breathing. I am passionate about my work and advocating for the health and autonomy of people who use drugs to access their basic needs. I love spending time with my dog, gardening, stargazing, and being in community.

Some of my favorite memories from my time in the lab were the times we stopped working to celebrate each other! From lab happy hours and cut-outs of people who often planned outings, but didn’t always show up to them, to the cheering sections we became at our lab mate's defense with the football cutouts for ‘D’ and the fence that we had repurposed, we made memories together that will last a lifetime.

Founder of THRRIV: Transformative Harm Reduction Research Institute of the Voices

Neuroscience and Pharmacology Research Specialist at The Sidewalk Project, Los Angeles, CA

1st lab graduate

Former student