Priv. Doz. Mag. Dr. Lukas Weigl
Medizinische Universität Wien
Klin. Abt. f. Spezielle Anästhesie und Schmerztherapie
Leitstelle 9i
AKH Wien
Währinger Gürtel 18 – 20
1090 Wien Austria
Tel.: +43 1 40400 41670

Lukas Weigl is the principal investigator and senior researcher at the Clinical Division of Pain Medicine at the Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Medical University of Vienna. The clinic is the only Austrian centre for the diagnosis of malignant hyperthermia. Consequentially, with his research interest in muscle physiology and ryanodine receptor function, he established the genetic testing for families with known malignant hyperthermia mutations. His wide expertise on electrophysiology of single cells and single channel analysis helped to elucidate some of the pharmacological effects of general anaesthetics to induce anaesthesia. Currently, investigations are on the way to elucidate principles of the emergence of pain in osteoarthritis with special focus on false axon sprouting into diseased joints. Therefore, microfluidic systems for the assessment of axon guidance are designed which should help to better understand principles of pain in the course of OA. Another field of research are mechano-sensitive ion channels in chondrocytes and their possible role in OA affected cartilage. The assessment of functional deficits of Piezo channels in OA chondrocytes is currently under investigation