Project description
Innovative technology for neuropathic chronic pain management
Chronic pain management is a significant public health issue worldwide. Neuropathic chronic pain is caused by damage or injury to the nerves that transfer information from the peripheral parts of the body to the brain and spinal cord. The most devastating type of neuropathic pain to patients’ quality of life is trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The trigeminal nerve is responsible for facial sensory function, and its damage can result in sudden, severe, stabbing and recurrent pain. Unfortunately, neuropathic pain often responds poorly to standard pain treatments, and TN patients suffer from a prolonged debilitating condition. To this end, the EU-funded HydroLieve project is developing an innovative non-migrating hydrogel as a long-lasting and drug-free treatment for chronic TN.
Objective
Chronic Neuropathic Pain (NeP) is an enormous problem globally. Estimates predicate that 20% of adults suffer from pain world-wide and 10% are newly diagnosed with chronic pain annually1. According to the EuroPain Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)2, one in five adults in Europe suffers from chronic pain. One type of Neuropathic Pain that is particularly detrimental to patients quality of life is Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). The trigeminal nerve is responsible for facial sensory function, and trauma to this nerve can result in sudden, severe, stabbing and recurrent episodes of pain. Patients with TN experience a prolonged debilitating condition, where the pain is often described as one of the most painful conditions in medicine. TN is infamously called the “suicide disease” as there have been numerous suicide reports associated with the condition. Epidemiologists estimated the prevalence of chronic TN pain is also large at 7%3, which amounts to 36 million Europeans. Similarly, in the US, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons report that 150,000 people are diagnosed with TN every year with a prevalence of chronic TN impacting 1.7 % of population 4. Therefore in this proposal, we describe the development of a long-lasting and drug-free treatment for chronic Trigeminal Neuralgia.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept GrantHost institution
H91 Galway
Ireland