Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS)

The goal of the Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) program is to develop a set of objective biomarkers that provide “signatures” to predict if chronic pain is likely to develop or be resolved after acute pain, like an injury or after a surgery. These signatures are greatly needed because prevention of chronic pain is a major challenge in pain management. For most people, acute pain resolves as the injury that caused it heals. Yet in many other people, pain from an injury, surgery, or disease persists lasts for years or even throughout life becoming a chronic condition. This high prevalence of chronic pain has in part contributed to the current opioid epidemic in the US. A signature that could be identified before the transition from acute to chronic pain could help accelerate therapy development and ultimately guide pain prevention strategies. (Retrieved from the NIH Common Fund site)