About the Conference:

OBN are pleased to be working with Pain Research Reading to deliver a special one-day 'Pain Research and Therapeutics' conference on Tuesday 21st May 2024.

The event has a dual objective of both showcasing the in-house expertise of the University of Reading's Pain Research team, but also to provide a platform from which to bring thought leaders and commercial organisations together who are involved in pain focused R&D in order to share best practice and foster collaborations and partnerships.

The day will feature keynotes and presentations from academic experts from the University of Reading on 'the future of pain research', along with short presentations from companies working on pre-clinical pain models, those working to understand the neurology and psychology of pain and finally some insight from clinicians working to better understand pre-clinical behavioural assessments of pain.

The day is aimed at academics from both university and hospital settings along with those working within biotech, medtech, digital health companies, as well as large pharma, CRO's and investors involved or have a commercial interest in the pain research space and who are keen to learn, grow and collaborate with others across the sector.

Attendance is complimentary but strictly on an 'apply to attend' basis, with companies or individuals working within the pain research space, or working in roles that support pain research or pain focused companies offered places in the first instance. Click below to apply.

Current Academic and Clinical Speaker Lineup:

Dr. Maria Maiarú​, Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Reading, whose research focusses on pain mechanisms and the generation of new tools and drugs that could ameliorate persistent pain states

Dr. Amelia Hollywood, Associate Professor in Health Services Research, University of Reading, whose current research is focussed on the patient experience in health services, with particular interest in pain assessment and management

Dr. Rich Harrison, Lecturer & Co-Lead of CINN Pain Lab, University of Reading, whose research focusses predominately on pain, examining the neuroscientific and psychological processes underlying how pain is processed and modulated

Dr. Wiebke Gandhi​, Co-Lead of CINN Pain Lab, University of Reading, whose research focusses on how people regulate pain and how they manage – or struggle – to cope with it

Dr. Carole Torsney​, Reader, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences​, University of Edinburgh, whose main research focus is investigation of altered tactile and pain processing that occurs in chronic pain conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders

Prof. Steve Hunt​, Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University College London, whose research includes the effective use of Botulinum neurotoxin as a form of long-lasting pain relief

Dr. Aadil El-Turabi​, JPND OligoFIT Co-Investigator, The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, a vaccinologist and former entrepreneur training fellow utilising virus-like particles (VLPs) as a strategy against chronic pain and neurodegenerative diseases

Dr. John Dawes​, Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, who investigates the mechanisms of autoantibody mediated pain, novel molecular pathways regulating pain sensitivity, and clinically relevant targets for the development of future therapies

Prof. Fiona Boissonade​, Professor of Oral Neuroscience, Director of Impact and External Engagement, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, whose research interests focus on pain, including in the oro–facial region, nerve injury and regeneration, and neural interactions in disease progression and wound healing

Dr. Deepak Ravindran​, Consultant in Pain Medicine & Deputy Clinical Lead, E-Pain, Royal Berkshire Hospital (NHS Foundation), a pioneer and advocate of mindset management for a pain-free life, Dr. Ravindran helped establish the award-winning Integrated Pain and Spinal Service (IPASS) in Berkshire; in clinical practice he uses pharmacological treatments, interventional procedures, and regenerative therapies for pain treatment

Current Industry Speaker Lineup:

Dr. Vineeta Tripathi​, CEO of Vitarka Therapeutics​- a preclinical stage biotech focused on the development of RNAi therapies and non-viral delivery platform technology

Dr. Edd Humphries​, Principal Scientist at Maxion Therapeutics​- using revolutionary KnotBody® technology to create first-in-class and best-in-class protein therapeutics for treating previously untreatable ion channel and GPCR-driven diseases, including pain

Dr. Keith Phillips​, VP, Genetic Medicine at Grünenthal​- a privately-owned, fully-integrated pharmaceutical company and global leader in pain R&D focussed on peripheral neuropathic pain, chronic post-surgical pain, chronic lower back pain, and osteoarthritis

Pain Specialist speaker TBA at Eli Lilly​ - a leading global pharmaceutical firm with long-standing interest and success in pain therapeutics, currently tackling recurrent and chronic pain, including migraine and episodic cluster headache

Dr. Alasdair Naylor​, CSO of Sevenless Therapeutics​ - a preclinical-stage pain company creating novel small-molecules against a new target in pain treatment

Dr. Mark Field​, CEO of EptivA Therapeutics​ - a clinical stage biotech whose Personalized Analgesics® research platform links research targets to optimal patient groups via a novel network of molecular biology and pain disease databases

Dr. Sean Lightowler​, Director of Saretius​ - a preclinical drug discovery research service company that offers bespoke experimental services, including for pain and CNS therapeutic areas, in a highly integrated fashion

Outline Programme (provisional):

08.30 - 09.00 Delegate arrival, breakfast & networking

09.00 - 09.30 Welcome and introductory keynote sharing a broad introduction to the pain research field

09.30 - 10.40 Company & Research Showcase: 'The Future of Pain Research'

10.40 - 11.00 Networking break

11.00 - 12.40 Company & Research Showcase: 'Pre-clinical Pain Models'

12.40 - 13.40 Lunch & networking

13.40 - 14.10 Afternoon keynote: clinical perspectives on pain management and research

14.10 - 15.30 Company & Research Showcase: 'The Neurology & Psychology of Pain'

15.30 - 16.00 Networking break

16.00 - 17.00 Company & Research Showcase: 'Pre-clinical Behavioural Assessments'

17.00 - 18.30 Networking drinks, Event close