Pain Relief

Australian researchers have discovered a fungus in Tasmania that produces novel molecules with similar activity to opioids. These never-before-seen molecules may have similar analgesic properties to morphine but without its dangerous side effects.

By studying the way pain works in injured fruit flies, scientists have for the first time uncovered evidence that its effects can be long-lasting, something they say opens up new opportunities for more effective treatments for chronic pain in humans.

A new study has developed a novel method to tame one of the world’s most potent toxins, tetrodotoxin, commonly found in the pufferfish. The research demonstrates a way to control the spread of the toxin and harness it into a local anesthetic that can numb targeted regions for up to three days.

Mole-rats are pretty amazing animals, with a remarkable resistance to pain. A new study has uncovered the molecular reasons for the pain insensitivity, which could eventually lead to new pain relief techniques for human use.

A woman in Scotland has been found to have a previously-unknown genetic mutation that makes her almost completely immune to pain. Her wounds heal faster and she seems to have less anxiety and fear. Geneticists are now studying the genes responsible to uncover new potential treatments for pain relief

A team of researchers has developed a new method that is claimed to objectively measure pain levels. The system uses electroencephalography (EEG) to identify oscillations in certain brainwaves that have been found to clearly correlate with commonly used pain assessment tools.

​Researchers at Northwestern University have shown that sugar pill placebos are as effective as any drug on the market for relieving chronic pain in people with a certain brain anatomy and psychological characteristics.

Researchers appear to have found a promising alternative to opioid pain killers in the form of a chemical compound called AT-121. With promising results seen in non-human primates, hopes are high the compound will work just as well in people.

An experimental, non-opioid drug known as EMA401 is showing promise, and now researchers at Washington University in St Louis have found that it works by targeting a different part of the body, outside of the nervous system.

The results of one of the longest in-depth studies examining cannabis use and chronic pain is raising doubts over whether cannabis reduces pain severity or opioid use. The study is proving controversial as its findings contradict a growing body of research suggesting exactly the opposite.

​Needles – none of us like them. But researchers from Ohio State University think it doesn’t have to be this way. They’re drawing inspiration from the mosquito to make injections a less miserable experience.

New research from neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found that chronic pain can be suppressed by feelings of hunger. This unique evolutionary quirk, controlled by a very small population of brain cells, could offer researchers novel new targets for pain treatments.