A University of Newcastle research team has secured a $940,000 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grant to examine the role of spinal cord cells in processing and producing pain signals, which could have a significant impact on how chronic pain is treated.
Led by University of Newcastle Professor Brett Graham of HMRI's Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, the team has discovered a specific type of nerve cell population in the spinal dorsal horn, which is located at the back of the spinal cord.
The study will use advanced animal-modelling genetics and cutting-edge neuroscience techniques to examine whether the cells trigger widespread pain sensations.
Despite decades of intensive research, the treatment of chronic pain continues to be a significant unmet issue for consumers and a burden on the healthcare system. The findings of this study will be critical to the development of improved pain therapies, helping people to live better, healthier lives.
