Grant: Foundation Grant

Chronic pain is the most prevalent human health problem, affecting 15-25% of the population at any one time (and 50% over a lifetime), and costing the Canadian economy $6B in direct costs per year and up to $60B per year in total costs. Chronic pain, perhaps more than any other common disorder, is associated with robust individual differences in susceptibility, sensitivity, and response to treatment. Heritability studies performed in humans and in mice suggest that somewhat less than half of this variability is genetic in nature, and thus a complete understanding will require the elucidation of both genetic and non-genetic factors. My laboratory has been devoted to the identification of these factors-in both mice and humans-for the last two decades. The laboratory will be working on the following experimental themes over the next few years, with appropriate collaborators from across Canada and worldwide: •Genetic studies of pain. •Sex differences in the modulation of pain by the immune system. •Social modulation of pain in mice and humans. •Development and characterization of novel measurement strategies for pain in mice. This research is expected to identify and characterize multiple causes of pain variability: genes, sex-dependent brain circuitry, social factors, and interactions between them. Building on proven success with translation, this information should prove invaluable to pain researchers everywhere, and lead to clinical advancements in the management of pain.