The University of Nottingham was host to the first, annual Advanced Pain Discovery Platform (APDP) conference, bringing together UK research resources and expertise with people who suffer with chronic pain, to discuss a problem that affects so many lives.
APDP has been supported by £25m in grant funding from UK Research & Innovation, Versus Arthritis, Eli Lilly, the Medical Research Foundation, and additional diverse funding sources. The conference demonstrated how the APDP is leading the world in pain research through its consortia, data hub, research projects, and strong international links.
The APDP conference welcomed 200 delegates: hosting a network of researchers from universities across the UK, pharmaceutical companies, people with lived experience of pain, charities, and government sectors.
The topic of pain is becoming visible in the UK - it is being discussed openly and more often in forums like this, and people who experience pain no longer must suffer in silence.
APDP encompasses the research from across the UK with the University of Nottingham as a central element of this network. APDP delegates presented new and exciting pain research projects for the first time and revealed how biology, psychology and society determine the pain that people suffer, pointing the way to new treatments for the future. The conference was organised and delivered by multidisciplinary team of researchers working hand in hand with members of public.
David Walsh, Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Nottingham and Programme Director of the APDP, comments: "This conference has highlighted how much progress has been made towards improving the lives of people with chronic pain. The UK has world-leading expertise and resources. The topic of pain is becoming visible in the UK – it is being discussed openly and more often in forums like this, and people who experience pain no longer must suffer in silence".
The pivotal influence on APDP research from people with lived experience of pain was illustrated at the conference by research from Newcastle University, the University of Bristol and the University of Dundee. Conference demonstrations proved the working principle of a pioneering portable device, which will allow chemotherapy patients to test whether their nerves are being damaged by their cancer treatment
Antony Chuter, a member from the patient and public involvement group, added: "It was fantastic to see how people like me with pain have changed pain research in the UK and to be an equal partner in this conference."
The UK is at the forefront of pain research and this year's first national conference set the blueprint for the future scientific advances. The APDP's collaborative network is finding synergies, removing barriers and showing that by working together, we can answer the challenges posed by chronic pain.
