Staff Profile

Ilona Obara is a Reader in Pain Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Director of Research in the School of Pharmacy at the Newcastle University.

She received an MSc in Biology from the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland (2000) and earned a PhD in Medical Sciences (with distinction) from the Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland (2007). During her PhD training, she was awarded a START scholarship from the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and The Konorski Award-National Neuroscience Highlight of the Year from the Polish Neuroscience Society. She then conducted post-doctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA (2007-2009), at the University College London, London, UK (2009-2012) and at the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK (2012). In 2012, she joined the faculty in the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at the Durham University, Durham, UK (UK) as a Lecturer in Pharmacology and became a Senior lecturer in 2017 just prior to joining the Newcastle University. She was awarded a Readership in 2023 at the Newcastle University.

Her scientific interests involve understanding the etiology and neurobiology of the symptoms and processes of chronic pain. Her studies employ a combination of pharmacological, behavioural and immunochemical approaches in the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuroplasticity induced by nerve/tissue injury in chronic pain. She aims to bridge the gap between newly identified molecular mechanisms involved in pain processing and effective and safe (without side effects) strategies for the control of pain, including improvement of opioid effectiveness. Currently on-going projects focus on the understanding of the contribution of the peripheral histamine system in the regulation of neuropathic pain as well as she is interested in the development of pre-clinical models of spinal cord stimulation and chronic pain to identify novel stimulation methods for rodents that would better reproduce clinical SCS procedures. She collaborates with Saluda Medical, an international medical device company offering highly innovative and one-of-a-kind technology based on the closed-loop stimulation in the field of neuromodulation and treatment of chronic pain. She serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Saluda Medical. 

In addition to her research activities, Ilona is also actively involved in delivering the MPharm Programme at Newcastle. She is a discipline lead for pharmacology provision within MPharm, focusing on implementing a philosophy of research-led integrated curriculum, where future pharmacists apply their knowledge and skills to complex clinical scenarios. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

• Articles

  • Meaadi J, Obara I, Eldabe S, Nazar H. The safety and efficacy of gabapentinoids in the management of neuropathic pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy 2023, 45, 556-565.
  • Meaadi J, Obara I, Nazar H. A qualitative study to investigate community pharmacists' perceptions about identifying and addressing inappropriately prescribed analgesia. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2023, 31(4), 396-402.
  • Alrashdi I, Alsubaiyel A, Chan M, Battell EE, Ennaceur A, Nunn MA, Weston-Davies W, Chazot PL, Obara I. Votucalis, a Novel Centrally Sparing Histamine-Binding Protein, Attenuates Histaminergic Itch and Neuropathic Pain in Mice. Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022, 13, 846683.
  • Maddison R, Nazar H, Obara I, Vuong QC. The efficacy of sensory neural entrainment on acute and chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Pain 2023, 17(2), 126-141.
  • Dietz BE, Mugan D, Vuong QC, Obara I. Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potentials in Spinal Cord Stimulation: Implications for Preclinical Research Models. Neuromodulation 2022, 25(1), 64-74.
  • Rosa AC, Nardini P, Sgambellone S, Gurrieri M, Spampinato SF, Dell'Accio A, Chazot PL, Obara I, Liu WL, Pini A. CNS-Sparing Histamine H₃ Receptor Antagonist as a Candidate to Prevent the Diabetes-Associated Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Biomolecules 2022, 12(2), 184.
  • Mills VG, Meaadi J, Nazar H, Obara I. A review and narrative synthesis of community pharmacist-led interventions to tackle medicines for pain that are misused. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2022, 30(4), 305-314.
  • Obara I, Telezhkin V, Alrashdi I, Chazot PL. Histamine, histamine receptors, and neuropathic pain relief. British Journal of Pharmacology 2019, 177(3), 580-599.
  • Nazar H, Obara I, Paterson A, Nazar Z, Portlock JC, Husband AK. A consensus approach to investigate undergraduate pharmacy students' experience of interprofessional education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2017, 81(2), 1-16.
  • Mangione AS, Obara I, Maiaru M, Geranton SM, Tassorelli C, Ferrari E, Leese C, Davletov B, Hunt SP. Nonparalytic botulinum molecules for the control of pain. Pain 2016, 157(5), 1045-1055.
  • Pini A, Obara I, Battell E, Chazot PL, Rosa AC. Histamine in diabetes: Is it time to reconsider?. Pharmacological Research 2016, 111, 316-324.
  • Obara I, Medrano MC, Signoret-Genest J, Jimenez-Diaz L, Geranton SM, Hunt SP. Inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling pathway reduces itch behaviour in mice. Pain 2015, 156(8), 1519-1529.
  • Obara I, Hunt SP. Axonal protein synthesis and the regulation of primary afferent function. Developmental Neurobiology 2014, 74(3), 269-278.
  • Jagla G, Mika J, Makuch W, Obara I, Wordliczek J, Przewlocka B. Analgesic effects of antidepressants alone and after their local co-administration with morphine in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Pharmacological Reports 2014, 66(3), 459-465.