Pain Research Theme: Opioids and Pharmacology

The longstanding mainstay of the management of pain is drug treatment. However, often drugs are less effective than expected, and innovation of new drugs has been slow, with new agents often hampered by side-effects. Alongside this, drugs such as opioids present problems such as overuse and dependence, and are a key factor in the opioid crisis which affects many countries worldwide. In these patients, the challenge can be to reduce opioids to find other, more effective management approaches. Examples of some of the ongoing research include:

• Identifying novel drug targets
• Designing clinical systems for opioid deprescribing
• Developing biomarkers that allow better treatment stratification.

Oxford researchers working within this theme:

• David Bennett, Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Zameel Cader, Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Jane Quinlan, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Management, and Honorary Senior Lecturer, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Katja Wiech, Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences