27 Feb Meet Monell: Matthew Aquilino on Taste and Itch

Matthew Aquilino always knew that he wanted to study science. He credits his interest in chemosensory science to his first graduate school course lecture that focused on the physiology of the senses of taste, smell, and touch, which influence how we perceive and interact with the world around us and within us.

This interest led him to the Monell Center lab of Ichiro Matsumoto where he currently works as a research technician exploring fatty acid taste receptors and itch mechanisms.

At Monell, Aquilino is the only researcher who studies itch. Pain and itch are inexplicably linked, so in a world that experiences acute pain and chronic pain on a global scale “it’s worthwhile and important to understand the misunderstood or poorly understood,” he says.

What motivates Aquilino is his desire to understand how people and animals perceive the world around them on a molecular and cellular level. “So much of human experience is walking around, looking around, feeling, and seeing” he explains. Learning and understanding the mechanisms through which that is possible excites Aquilino because he is able to break down the complex idea of human perception to how we perceive a world in which we are surrounded by stimuli.

In Matsumoto’s lab Aquilino studies G proteins, which are activated by agonists involved in itch mechanisms.

Studying the mechanisms of itch presents a unique opportunity to solve problems related to the human experience. Itch is universally regarded as an unpleasant sensation that “is also inextricably woven in pain” to the extent that “people are not willing to take a life-saving drug against a deadly disease,” Aquilino explains. One of the agonists Aquilino focuses on is the anti-malarial drug, chloroquine. “Chloroquine-induced itch is so severe that people with malaria, a deadly disease, are unwilling to take this medication because of how uncomfortable it is.”

“If understanding the mechanisms of itch can theoretically help us have a better understanding of pain in a world with no idea what to do with it, I think we can help a lot of people,” he says.

To Aquilino, itch-related research is necessary because itch intertwines with our daily lives.. “Many chemicals that we can experience on a daily basis through medications, supplements, diet, or being outside can cause us to feel itch,” he explains. Aquilino describes pain as a “global epidemic” and hopes that by understanding itch, researchers will be able to further understand pain to advance ways to treat it.

Aquilino credits Monell as the place that spurred his career in chemosensory research. He is proud of the work and community he belongs to. “Monell is full of many interesting people with different goals, backgrounds, and interests–I’m very proud to work at Monell. But also, I’m very proud of the work that I do. It’s a dream come true.”

Looking to the future Aquilino is hopeful that his research will contribute to his field and to science as a whole. As for Monell, Aquilino is looking forward to seeing the new breakthroughs the institute makes in the field and looks forward to being part of it.