The Pain Beat

Manager's note: The Pain Beat, launched and supported by a generous grant from the MAYDAY Fund, with additional funding from the Rita Allen Foundation, brings together the world's leading pain investigators with the purpose of sparking dialogue and debate around important ideas in pain research. Guided by Lite Yang, Scientific Director and co-producer, and Rebecca Seal, Chair Editorial Board of PRF, the podcasts feature open and spirited discussions about the hottest topics in pain and how the field moves forward.
Here we dive into a topic that's both surprisingly complex and often overlooked—eye pain. Our eyes are among the most sensitive structures in the human body, yet the mechanisms behind ocular pain remain poorly understood. In this episode, we have the pleasure hosting clinicians who are treating patients with eye pain every day speak with their colleagues and collaborators, who are preclinical pain researchers working to unravel the underlying biology. What emerged was a fascinating conversation about the different types and distinct mechanisms driving eye pain. Our guests explored the organ's intricate structures and their relationships to sensation as well as the role of different brain regions in shaping how we ultimately perceive and experience ocular discomfort.
Dr. Sue Aicher, Ph.D., Oregon Health and Science University,

Dr. Anna Matynia, Ph.D. University of Houston college of Optometry,

Dr. Brooke Harkness, O.D., M.S., FAAO, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health and Science University,

Dr. Lindsey Delott, M.D., University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center

Dr. Anat Galor, M.D., M.S.P.H., Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami,

Moderator was Dr. Sejiro Littleton, Ph.D., Duke University

This episode was produced by Lite Yang, and edited by Dieu Ni Daon.  Music by Kevin Seal of Seal Party.

Manager's note: The Pain Beat, launched and supported by a generous grant from the MAYDAY Fund, with additional funding from the Rita Allen Foundation, brings together the world's leading pain investigators with the purpose of sparking dialogue and debate around important ideas in pain research. Guided by Rebecca Seal, scientific director of The Pain Beat and Editor-in-Chief of Pain Research Forum, the podcasts feature open and spirited discussions about the hottest topics in pain and how the field moves forward. For this episode, Adam Dourson and Lite Yang served as both creators and producers. Lite Yang moderates an important discussion with leaders in the pain field, which provides insights into current work to use human donor tissues to guide basic research findings to increase the success of clinical outcomes. This is update on Episode 4 recorded in 2021, which featured another group of leading pain researchers. Podcast participants include: Robert Gereau, PhD, Washington University in Saint Louis, US Wenqin Luo, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, US Theodore Price, PhD, UT Dallas, US William Renthal, MD, PhD, Harvard University, US Lite Yang, Washington University in Saint Louis, US PRF thanks Kevin Seal for creating the music.

Manager's note: Welcome to the 19th episode of The Pain Beat! Launched and supported by a generous grant from the MAYDAY Fund, with additional funding from the Rita Allen Foundation, The Pain Beat brings together the world's leading pain investigators with the purpose of sparking dialogue and debate around important ideas in pain research. Guided by Rebecca Seal, scientific director of The Pain Beat and Editor-in-Chief of Pain Research Forum, the podcasts feature open and spirited discussions about the hottest topics in pain and how the field moves forward. On this episode of The Pain Beat, Juliet Mwirigi moderates an in person discussion about migraine with a diverse panel of preclinical and clinical experts at the USASP meeting in Chicago. Where are we in understanding and treating migraine? What successes have we had and what challenges do we still face? Podcast participants include: Andrew Russo, PhD, University of Iowa, US Gregory Dussor, PhD, UT Dallas, US Hadas Nahman-Averbuch PhD, University of Washington in Saint Louis, US Levi Sowers, PhD, University of Iowa, US Yohannes Woldeamanuel, MD, Mayo Clinic, US Juliet Mwirigi, PhD, Washington University in Saint Louis, US PRF thanks Adam Dourson and Lite Yang for producing the podcast and Kevin Seal for creating the music.

On this episode of The Pain Beat, Adam Dourson moderates a discussion about the role of the immune system in pain – what we know currently and ideas about how the immune system can be a target for new strategies to treat chronic pain. Podcast participants include: Geffroy Laumet, PhD, Michigan State University, US Luda Diachenko, PhD, McGill University, CA Thiago Cunha, PhD, University of Sao Paolo, BR Temugin Berta, PhD, University of Cincinnati, US Adam Dourson, PhD, Washington University in Saint Louis, US PRF thanks Lite Yang and Adam Dourson for producing the podcast and Kevin Seal for creating the music.

On this episode of The Pain Beat, Ewan St. John Smith hosted fellow scientists and clinicians with expertise in visceral pain, including Federica La Russa - a scientist who also brought the patient perspective. The participants belong to the MICA ADVANTAGE consortium led by Geoff Woods, University of Cambridge, UK. The discussion covered psychological and clinical perspectives on the experience of visceral pain and treatment, as well as the  latest in preclinical research, including how visceral pain studies differ from other types of pain.
 
Podcast participants include:
Ewan St. John Smith, PhD, University of Cambridge, UK
Franziska Denk, PhD, University College London, UK
Federica La Russa, PhD, Freelance Science Writer
Andrew Horne, University of Edinburgh, UK
Amanda Williams, PhD, University College London, UK