We explore the frontiers of pain to benefit patients
Our work crosses the disciplines of neuroscience, pharmacy, psychology, and clinical research to better understand and treat pain.
Latest news
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Emma Beecroft invited to present In Naples, Italy at the 38th International AIGeDO Congress.
Emma Beecroft was invited to speak in Naples, Italy, at the 38th International AIGeDO Congress on 10th October 2025. One of the core mission statements of the Italian Association for Gnathology and Orofacial Pain (AIGeDO) is to enhance practitioner expertise and patient care in this specialized field, making Emma’s invitation to present alongside eminent international…
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British Orthodontic Society ASM
Justin was invited to present at this prestigious conference (16th Oct 2024) to discuss the management of TMD and the new guidelines available to help all healthcare professionals with TMD. He also explained some of the latest science behind changes in the mouth and face, pain pathways and central brain changes. His presentation can be…
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Team present work at World Endodontic Congress in Glasgow
The team were well represented, with Professor Justin Durham, Dr Jamie Coulter, and Dr David Edwards presenting their research at the World Endodontic Congress held in in Glasgow in Sept 2024. Click here to access materials from this conference
Current projects
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Modulation of pain perception
Pain is a salient percept that can draw our attention away from our current task so we can deal with potential bodily harm. We are interested in how our thoughts and actions can help us deal with pain, for example by distracting us from a painful stimulus. To address this, we use different tasks to […]
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Can we improve pain education using experiential methods?
The way that people understand pain is important. Typically, believing that pain is caused only by physical factors and using only passive modalities of treatment are both associated with a poorer prognosis. Unfortunately, this is exactly what many people do believe about pain including some health professionals! A recent project carried out by students from […]
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MiTiGate trial
MiTiGate Trial: Managing chronic Myalgia Temporomandibular Disorder: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial of Botulinum toxin type A, lidocaine, and amitriptyline/gabapentin, with internal pilot and cost-effectiveness analysis To learn more, visit the MiTiGate Trial website here: https://www.mitigatetrial.co.uk/ To self-refer to the trial, please email nuth.mitigate@nhs.net Plain English summary of the study Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) affect the […]
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EXTIRPATE study: Irreversible Pulpitis
Dental pain mechanisms remain poorly understood. Outcomes from current approaches to managing acute dental pain are suboptimal. EXTIRPATE focusses on developing a biological model to better understand peripheral and central pain mechanisms, explore the effect of current approaches on these mechanisms and investigate new treatment approaches.
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Investigating the role of the kynurenine pathway in irreversible pulpitis
The kynurenine pathway is responsible for the catabolism of the essential amino acid kynurenine. This pathway has been linked to acute and chronic pain in animal models of viral infections. Research by the team has shown upregulation of this pathway in pulpititis (toothache) and it appears to be pushing the pathway towards neuroinflammation and pain. […]
Our work is funded by
