Here at the London Pain Clinic, our team of world-class Pain Doctors, are always once step of the curve on Pain Research and Innovative Solutions. To that end, we would like to inform readers about a June 2025 breakthrough which shows that a previously unknown nerve-cell interaction may be at the heart of chronic pain. – And as a result, new targets for non-opioid treatment could form part of a patients’ treatment protocol.
At the present time, after having given the patient an accurate diagnosis, our Pain Consultants then devise a Holistic Personalised Treatment Plan that can be started on right away. This is likely to be multi-faceted, and include both conventional and the latest cutting-edge state-of-the-art treatments therapies and injectables (including pain blockers and Botox). Follow-up appointments (which can be either in-person or online), are then scheduled to monitor the participant’s progress and make any necessary changes.
Addressing Chronic Pain Through a New Lens
Did you know that long-term pain is one of the main causes of global disability? – This is because until now, its underlying biological causes have not been fully understood. – Yet, the good news is that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and as outlets across the world are reporting: a study backed by Wellcome, and collaborated on by researchers spanning different medical disciplines. The latter, who are from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery (University of Oxford), have brought crucial findings into the sphere of potential non-opioid treatments. – This is excellent news for the countless millions of people across the globe whose lives have been irrevocably impacted by pain.
The Low-Down
Collectively, the researchers “combined genetic data with detailed imaging and functional studies to identify a new gene, SLC45A4, that controls pain sensitivity” [1]. And as our Pain Specialists now regularly explain, this particular gene generates “a transporter that moves natural chemicals called polyamines across nerve cells. These chemicals, when overly abundant, disrupt how nerve cells function — sending more pain signals to the brain than normal” [1].
The Oxford neuroscience team, which was headed by Professor David Bennett, involved the use of mice. Of note, the creatures which lacked the aforementioned SLC45A4 gene, appeared to be less responsive to painful stimuli such as pressure or heat. To that end, this finding implies that: “targeting the SLC45A4 gene or its transporter, could be an effective way to reduce chronic pain” [1].
The breakthrough, which has been heralded by our renowned Pain Specialists: “marks the first time this specific transporter has been seen in 3D in humans, and researchers now plan to study how factors like diet or genetic variation affect its function. Eventually, this could lead to drugs that precisely block or adjust how SLC45A4 works — reducing pain at the source, without affecting the rest of the brain like opioids do” [1].
Announcement by Professor of Neurology, Professor David Bennett
“We discovered a new pain gene, gained insights into the atomic structure of this molecule, and connected its function to the excitability of neurons that respond to tissue injury. Ultimately, our findings reveal a promising new target for the treatment of chronic pain. This finding represents a promising step toward safer, smarter pain relief — and a potential turning point in how chronic pain is understood and treated” [1].
Getting Your Chronic Pain Sorted
When you have your first in-person or online consultation with one of our Pain Doctors, you will have everything explained to you in easy-to-understand laymen’s terms. Moreover, your Pain Consultant will also tell you about the wide range of innovative treatment options that the London Pain Clinic is renowned across Europe for.
Reference
[1]. Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery (2025). “Breakthrough Discovery Reveals New Gene Linked to Chronic Pain.”
https://kavlinano.ox.ac.uk/article/kavli-oxford-collaborates-in-breakthrough-discovery
