Can you imagine a future free from chronic pain? We can.
04 December 2024
If you, or someone you love, lives with arthritis you might have been told “it’s just wear and tear”, or “it’s just part of the ageing process”. Or perhaps you’ve heard “you’re not old enough for arthritis.” None of this is true.
We want you to know about some of the hundreds of researchers dedicating their lives working towards a pain-free future for those with arthritis. Together, researchers are working hard to transform our knowledge of the underlying causes of chronic pain. With this knowledge, they are moving forwards ideas to real, life-changing treatments.
The Advanced Pain Discovery Platform (APDP) brings together experts from many areas of pain research
Professor David Walsh consultant rheumatologist and director of the APDP wants you to know that there’s a community of people who see arthritis differently.
Researchers, scientists – teams of people – who are working hard to prove that it’s not just an inevitable part of ageing. That a future free from the pain of arthritis is possible.
The Advanced pain discovery platform (APDP) is an exciting step forwards in pain research, because it brings together experts from biological, psychosocial and cognitive pain research fields across the country.
Research is about more than clever ideas and lightbulb moments. It’s about collaboration and huge teams of people, coming together from all disciplines, to share their knowledge and work hard to bring real change, for people with arthritis.
93 research teams lead the APDP, at 23 universities across the UK – that’s hundreds of people dedicating their lives to solving the problem of chronic pain.
As we discovered when we met teams from across the country, progress is only possible when people with arthritis – perhaps like you, or someone you love – are part of the process. Together, with your support, we’re finding out more every day.
Meet some of our researchers
Dr Sue Wijesinghe
Dr Wijesinghe is one of our rising stars in her early career as a researcher, she is investigating how immune cells in our joints could be causing osteoarthritis pain.
She’s helping to make exciting progress in linking pain with specific biological markers, which could help us understand and target the pain of osteoarthritis more accurately.
In time, Dr Wijesinghe and the team hope to see the development of more targeted treatments that directly tackle the root causes of pain and inflammation in arthritis.
“Arthritis impacts millions of people. Knowing that my research could ease their pain and improve their quality of life keeps me motivated.”
Dr Franziska Denk
Dr Franziska Denk is exploring the root cause of pain. Dr Denk’s team have learned that there are several different types of nerve in our joints – and in arthritis, some of them send spontaneous signals. They believe that this may be the root cause of pain ‘at rest’, that many living with rheumatoid or osteoarthritis experience every day.
“Everyone is interested in pain, but our approaches and perspectives are often quite different. It’s wonderful to learn from each other and work together to improve people’s lives.”
Dr Fisher
Dr Fisher is pursuing the psychology of pain. She is particularly interested in how pain is influenced by different factors from childhood through to adulthood as well as exploring how individual characteristics, such as mental health, can influence pain and treatments for pain.
“I have friends and family members who are affected by arthritis, which makes the prevalence of this condition all the more real to me."
218 projects are supported by your donations – including the APDP – across 53 different research organisations, looking at primary care, fatigue, clinical trials as well as pain research.
What does this mean for people with arthritis?
Well, it could lead to the discovery of a new, targeted treatment that significantly changes someone’s life. Or it could mean a detailed understanding of why they’re feeling that pain – and a clearer idea of how to make it better. Professor Walsh tells us as researchers, we know there’s more than one answer, more than one finish line – many potential ways to make life with arthritis easier and less painful. In science, everything is a variable, but on this, we are certain – you are not alone.
“What inspires me, day-to-day, is seeing a generation of researchers of the future developing their independence – and coming out with great ideas that I hadn’t thought about.”
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