Identification of Biomarkers for Pain Detection/Diagnosis

According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, chronic pain affects 100 million Americans and costs the nation up to $635 billion annually. The overall objective of this project is to develop an assay to rapidly and reliably detect biomarkers associated with pain. Our goals in Phase II research are to verify the candidate pain biomarkers identified in Phase I, further develop the method, validate the biomarkers, and deliver a prototype test for pain. Mass spectrometry will be performed using direct infusion of the samples into a Thermo Scientific Q Exactive programmed to analyze 8 candidate peptide biomarkers. The use of SPE cartridges for peptide separations will be tested to determine whether test results are improved and use of lower resolution instrumentation is permitted. Peptide arrays will be used to determine whether autoantibodies are developed as part of the pain response. Validation will be performed through collaborations and/or a prospective sample collection. We expect to develop a research-grade mass spectrometry-based assay for use by scientists studying pain and diseases associated with pain.