Grant: Project Grant

Chronic joint pain is a common cause of disability that is difficult to treat effectively and is poorly understood. The symptoms of chronic pain reported by arthritis patients closely resemble those reported by patients with nerve injuries. This suggests that arthritis pain might be caused, at least in part, by injury and inflammation of the nerves that provide sensation to joints. Chronic inflammation can sensitize sensory nerves pathways to the point where painful sensations in joint are amplified in spinal cord and brain. Chronic inflammation of joints and nerves involves activation of immune cells called macrophages. The first aim of these studies is to define and quantify the molecules associated with macrophage activation after joint injury; the second aim is to de-activate macrophages in the joint and nerves with the goal of preventing or limiting the development of chronic arthritis pain.