Pain Research Theme: Data-Driven Research

The advent of large data infrastructures such as the UK Biobank, alongside new data science approaches including machine learning and AI, have opened up new opportunities to probe pain in healthy and clinical populations. This includes identification of novel factors (such as epidemiological factors and genes), biomarker development (for example using behavioural and brain imaging data), and outcome prediction based on data from longitudinal studies. This can identify novel factors that then leads to hypothesis-based and mechanism-oriented pain research.

Examples of some of the ongoing research include:

• Identification of novel genes from UK Biobank
• The association of chronic pain and brain health
• The role of the descending pain system in nociplastic pain

Oxford researchers working within this theme:

• Georgios Baskozos, Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

• David Bennett, Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Zameel Cader, Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Annina Schmid, Professor of Pain Neurosciences, Oxford Neuroscience
• Ben Seymour, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Andreas Themistocleous,  MRC Clinician Scientist, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford & Locum honorary consultant in clinical neurophysiology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust