Dr. Shen's research focus has been centered around the bidirectional interactions between the immune system and the nervous system. Many neurological disorders including pain involve dysregulated immune activation. How the immune system participates in these conditions, particularly chronic pain, has not been thoroughly examined. Conversely, how chronic pain and other neurological disorders alter the immune function is still largely unknown. We have examined gut microbiota, a diverse consortium of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract of hosts, in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain, using chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain as an animal model. We found that gut microbiota plays a previously unrecognized role in influencing pain induced by chemotherapy agent - oxaliplatin. We employ a wide variety of research platforms including immunological tools (flow cytometry, bone marrow chimera, cell sorting) and behavioral studies (mechanical and thermal withdrawal thresholds, cognitive function tests). In addition, we collaborate with experts in Boston, New York, and New Jersey to take advantage of state-of-the-art metagenomics and metabolomics tools.