Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series of weekly PRF seminars designed to help keep the pain research community connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide all members of our community with virtual educational opportunities. The seminar series is supporter by the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US.
The IASP Pain Research Forum hosted a seminar with Annina Schmid, PhD, Oxford University, UK, on Monday, June 29, 2020, noon – 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (US)/5-6 p.m. BST/6-7 p.m. CEST. A Q&A session moderated by Nanna Brix Finnerup, MD, DrMedSc, Aarhus University, Denmark, followed the presentation.
- Annina Schmid, Oxford University, UK
- Nanna Brix Finnerup, Aarhus University, Denmark
A recording of this seminar will soon be freely available to IASP members at the IASP Pain Education Resource Center (PERC).
Here is an abstract from Dr. Schmid
There is a wealth of preclinical data on the pathomechanisms at play in focal nerve injuries. However, translation to patients remains challenging, partly due to the limited access to human tissue samples. In this talk, I will introduce some of my work using entrapment neuropathies as a human model system to study the cellular and molecular correlates related to nerve injury and neuropathic pain. I will focus on our data related to changes in myelination, axon degeneration, and inflammation. I also will highlight how a longitudinal study of patients with entrapment neuropathies led to the discovery of a genetic signature associated with sensory nerve regeneration, which we subsequently confirmed in vitro using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived sensory neurons. Last but not least, I will give an example of how biological insights from the model systems have translated into a successful nonsurgical treatment for patients with entrapment neuropathies. As such, this talk will not only give insight into pathomechanisms at play in patients with entrapment neuropathies, but also highlight how these conditions can serve as unique model systems to advance our understanding of the neurobiology of neuropathic pain.
About the presenter
Professor Annina Schmid, PhD, is a neuroscientist and consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist affiliated with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University in the UK. She originally trained in Switzerland before obtaining a master’s degree in manipulative physiotherapy from Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia, and completing a PhD in neuroscience at The University of Queensland in Brisbane in 2011. Her research team uses an exciting and unique combination of preclinical and clinical science that aims to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of neuropathic pain and entrapment neuropathies to ultimately improve management for these patients. She regularly presents her work as an invited speaker at international conferences and has published widely in her field. She is the recipient of several awards and grants, including the prestigious early career research grant from the International Association for the Study of Pain. Further information can be found here.
About the moderator
Nanna Brix Finnerup, MD, DrMedSc, is professor and director of the Danish Pain Research Center, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark. Her research focuses on clinical studies in neuropathic pain, and she is currently chair of NeuPSIG, the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).
Join the conversation about the seminar on Twitter @PainResForum #PRFSeminar
We thank the Center for Advanced Pain Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, US, for its support of the PRF seminar series.
