The project "Neuropathic pain in the elderly - elucidating mechanisms and sex-specificity"
While acute pain serves as a protective mechanism against bodily harm, the transition to persistent pain beyond the healing phase of an injury or inflammation signifies a pathological state known as chronic pain. This chronic pathological pain represents a major public health burden given its high prevalence, association with mood disorders and devastating impact on patients' quality of life. Despite its commonness and impact, chronic pain remains poorly understood and available treatments are ineffective in most patients.
Very little is known about chronic pain in the elderly, its molecular basis and mechanistic differences compared to chronic pain in younger adults (aged below 40 years). Due to budget and time constraints, research has favoured young adult rodent preclinical models, which are inadequate to model chronic pain in the elderly despite its high prevalence in humans. In addition, clinical trials evaluating new analgesics often exclude older participants, opting instead for those under the age of 50 to mitigate the complexities associated with age-related comorbidities and polypharmacy commonly observed in older populations.
With our population aging rapidly and chronic pain affecting a significant portion of the elderly, prioritizing effective pain management for seniors is crucial to promoting healthy aging and preventing age-related disability. Manuela Schmidt's project addresses the existing knowledge gap in this area and aims to specifically investigate chronic pain in senior adults. Central to this effort is the need for a deeper understanding of the precise molecular mechanisms that drive chronic pain in seniors using state-of-the-art proteomic profiling techniques.
Learn more:
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology
