Lunedì 7 Ottobre 2024, ore 12
Edificio Asclepio U8 - 8
The molecular pathophysiology of chronic pain states is largely unknown. The genetic and molecular studies of pain in both humans and mice nevertheless can provide critical insights into pathophysiological mechanisms of pain chronification. Increasing evidence suggests that the resolution
of acute pain requires an active molecular process that develops over time and not in the linear fashion.
Failure in this resolution process will cause chronic pain. In this session, Dr . Diatchenko will discuss the crucial importance of timing in the molecular events in pain resolution processes and re-emphasize the concept that the dynamic and diverse active biological process underlies pain resolution rather than pain progression to chronic status. The results suggest that this process is impaired in those who do not resolve acute pain over time and suggest time stratification of a cascade of processes resulting in a return to a normal, no-pain state.
Dr . Diatchenko will illustrate this concept using analysis of transcriptomics of blood samples of patients with acute and chronic pain, followed by animal mechanistic studies. Together, her results demonstrated the opposite contribution of neutrophil-driven
inflammation to acute and chronic pain states and suggest the importance of prolonged observational time in animal experiments and clinical trials targeting drug development for chronic pain
Luda Diatchenko
Luda Diatchenko, MD, PhD is a Canada Research Chair in Human Pain Genetics, Fellow of the Royal
Society of Canada, and a Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry and Medicine, at McGill University.
Dr . Diatchenko earned her MD and PhD in the field of Molecular Biology from the Russian State Medical University.
Dr . Diatchenko started her career in industry, she was a Leader of the RNA Expression Group at Clontech, Inc., and subsequently, Director of Gene Discovery at Attagene, Inc.
Dr . Diatchenko’s academic career started in 2000 in the Center for Neurosensory Disorders at the
University of North Carolina. Her research since then is focused on determining the genetic
mechanisms that impact and shape human pain perception and risk of development of chronic pain
conditions, enabling new approaches to identify drug targets, treatment responses to analgesics, and
diagnostics