The Challenge of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a major health care challenge. Approximately 20% of the
world’s population has an on-going pain problem, many of whom are poorly
served with currently available treatment modalities. Because pain
affects the elderly disproportionally, it is becoming an increasingly
important and expensive problem in our aging population. The growing use
of neurotoxic drugs to treat cancer and infectious diseases, and the
recognition of sexual dimorphism in both pain mechanisms and the clinical
presentation of pain syndromes further emphasize the need to better
understand the underlying mechanisms of acute and chronic pain, so that
improved therapies can be offered to patients.

The second Challenge of Chronic Pain conference will discuss recent
discoveries and current challenges in pain research, with a focus on
translating basic research insights into new therapies. Advances in our
understanding of peripheral and central pain mechanisms, pathways and
processes will be highlighted. We will explore the clinical landscape of
chronic pain and pain syndromes, the innovative approaches in target
validation in animal and human studies, and their translation into novel
therapeutic interventions.

This meeting is aimed at scientists, clinicians, and those working in
industry or on translational research, interested in understanding
chronic pain and improving the process from mechanism to therapy.

The conference will start at approximately 12:00 on Wednesday 1 March,
and close at 13.30 on Friday 3 March 2017.

An optional Big Data workshop will be held at EMBL-EBI after the
conference finishes on Friday 3 March at 14:00 – 16:00. The workshop will
focus on RNAseq and EBI databases. Places are strictly limited and on a
first come, first served basis.

Topics will include:

• Chronic pain: the clinical landscape and translational horizons
• CNS processing in acute and chronic pain
• The genetics of pain
• Cellular biology of pain
• Peripheral pain molecules
• Drug discovery and development
• Neuro-immune interactions
• Imaging

Please find a copy of the draft programme here.

Scientific programme committee
Jon
Levine University of California, San Francisco,
USA
Stephen McMahon King’s College London,
UK
Cheryl Stucky Medical College of Wisconsin,
USA
Fan Wang Duke University, USA
John Wood University College London, UK

Keynote speakers
Howard Fields
University of California San Francisco, USA
Nick Franks Imperial College London, UK

Speakers
Robert Brownstone University College London,
UK
Cathy Bushnell
National Institutes of Health, USA
James Cox University College London, UK
Yves De
Koninck Laval University, Canada
Nanna Brix Finnerup Danish Pain Research
Center, Denmark
Robert Gereau Washington University School
of Medicine, USA
Peter Goadsby King’s College London, UK
Sten Linnarsson Karolinska Institute,
Sweden
Sarah Ross University of Pittsburgh, USA
Dinah Sah Voyager Therapeutics, USA
Camilla
Svensson Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Andrew Todd University of Glasgow, UK
Tor
Wager University of Colorado, USA
Steve Waxman Yale School of Medicine,
USA
Xu Zhang Institute of Neuroscience, China

Conference organiser
Emily Rees Wellcome Genome Campus, UK

Registration Fees:

The registration fee includes entrance to the lectures and poster
sessions, an abstract book, meals (lunch and dinner) and refreshments
during the conference. Breakfast will be provided for delegates who have
booked accommodation.

Registration deadline: 31 January 2017

Accommodation
Accommodation is provided for the nights of 1 and 2 March 2017. Please
note: there is limited onsite accommodation and this will be allocated on
a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore, early registration is
recommended.

If you wish to book onsite accommodation either side of the conference
dates, please contact the Conference Centre directly.

Travel visas
Contact the conference organiser if you require a letter to support a
travel visa application. Please note: letters will only be provided to
confirmed registrants.

Non-European Economic Area or Swiss nationals may be required to have a
visa to enter the UK.
Early application is strongly advised, as this process can take 6-8 weeks
or longer.

Please visit the following websites for further information:
UK Border Agency website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/

Information for general visitors and business visitors: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/visiting/business/business-activities/

A limited number of registration bursaries are available for PhD students
to attend this conference (up to 50% of the registration fee) from
Wellcome Genome Campus Scientific Conferences.

The following documents will need to be provided:

• Abstract
• CV
• Covering letter
• Letter from supervisor

To apply, please contact the conference organiser.

Bursary deadline: Closed

We welcome abstracts from all areas relevant to the main themes of the
meeting, for both oral and poster presentations. Several oral
presentations will be chosen from the abstracts submitted.

Abstracts will only be considered from registered delegates. Please use our online abstract submission system and follow the instructions given to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline. If you are intending to submit more than one abstract, please contact the conference organiser prior to registration.

The scientific programme committee will assess your abstract after the
deadline has passed and you will be notified whether you have been
selected for an oral or poster presentation.

Poster boards onsite will accommodate 118 cm high by 84 cm wide (A0-
portrait) of printed material. Accepted abstracts will appear in the
conference programme book and poster boards will be allocated at the
conference.

Abstract deadline: 17 January 2017

Abstract guidelines can be viewed here.