The Role of the Immune System in Chronic Pain

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Pain is kind of an all-encompassing thing, so I guess I'm wondering who is it that's studying chronic pain? So there's a bunch of different people from different fields studying different aspects of pain. Neuroscientists have done a lot of work looking at the brain and using brain imaging to see how firing patterns, connectivity patterns change in people who've been in pain for a long time. Other researchers are trying to tease apart these interactions between the immune system and the nervous system. And as with everything to do with pain it's complicated. As many factors you're much more likely to develop chronic pain as a woman than as a man at least in certain conditions.

00:48 Tiny syringes for drug delivery

A team of researchers have repurposed tiny syringe-like structures produced by some bacteria to deliver molecules directly into human cells. They hope that this method could be used to overcome a big challenge in modern medicine, namely ensuring that therapeutics are delivered into the precise cells that need to be treated.

Research article: Kreitz et al.

News and Views: Mix-and-match tools for protein injection into cells

07:05 Research Highlights

A diamond-like material could protect spacecraft from intense radiation, and how gene editing could help in the treatment of a rare genetic condition.

Research Highlight: A gem of a material could provide a shield for spacecraft

Research Highlight: Gene editing holds promise for babies with deadly immune disease

09:30 Chronic pain

Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide and it can be debilitating. Research into the condition has come a long way in the past few years, but this knowledge hasn’t necessarily resulted in better outcomes for those with chronic pain. Nature’s Lucy Odling-Smee has written a Feature article on the topic, and she joined us to discuss why this disparity exists, and about her own experiences of chronic pain.

News Feature: Chronic pain: the long road to discovery

Resources for chronic pain: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/chronic-pain; https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/pain/ways-to-manage-chronic-pain/

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