Chronic pain affects one in five people globally, incurring significant costs and presenting complex challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Current diagnostic methods rely heavily on subjective self-reporting, which can be inaccurate and ineffective, especially in non-verbal populations. The lack of objective diagnostic tools complicates treatment, often leading to ineffective therapies and potential opioid-related issues.
The investigators aim to develop a novel blood test as a human pain biomarker tool to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain at the Flinders Medical Centre Pain Main Management Unit and the Pain and Sensory Cell Biology Laboratory at Flinders University. The study seeks to translate a preclinical biosensor device, capable of discriminating between chronic pain conditions in animal models, to human patients in clinical settings.
If successful, this research could improve the accuracy of chronic pain diagnosis and treatment by providing an objective measure of pain to complement subjective patient reports, enabling more accurate assessment of pain severity and type, and guiding precise analgesic requirements. This innovative approach is targeted at significantly improving patient outcomes across diverse populations of chronic pain patients with complex pain subtypes.
Dr Porhan Kang, Pain Management Unit
Dr Amelia Searle, Flinders Medical Centre
Dr Dusan Matusica, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute
Professor Rainer Haberberger, University of Adelaide, South Australia
The project was awarded A$68,329 funding through the ANZCA research grants program for 2026.