Scientists create ‘pain-on-a-chip’ device to identify chronic pain types

Telling your doctor exactly how much something hurts has always been a challenge but Monash University researchers have developed a clever solution that could take the guesswork out of pain diagnosis.

On Sunday, scientists revealed a new microfluidic device nicknamed “pain-on-a-chip” that can objectively distinguish between different types of chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy.

The breakthrough technology, developed by researchers from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in collaboration with Flinders University, works by analysing live sensory nerves on a tiny chip.

“Chronic pain is a global health issue that is poorly understood and challenging to treat,” said Professor Nicolas Voelcker from MIPS, one of the study’s lead authors.

“Our pain-on-a-chip concept has the potential to provide a biosensor platform for a minimally invasive and objective analysis method to discriminate between chronic pain subtypes.”

The device targets cells called “nociceptors” which initiate the sensation of pain and are associated with various chronic pain conditions. By observing how these cells respond to blood samples, researchers could tell the difference between pain originating from fibromyalgia and pain caused by diabetic neuropathy in their preclinical study.

This could be game-changing for patients who struggle to communicate their pain levels, or whose symptoms might be dismissed as subjective.

“Chronic pain stemming from conditions such as fibromyalgia and neuropathy can be very isolating and extremely debilitating,” explained Dr Dusan Matusica from Flinders University.

“Our research lays the foundation for the development of an objective discriminatory tool for the determination of chronic pain states based on blood sampling. Such a diagnostic tool set is currently missing in both preclinical and clinical applications.”

Associate Professor Nicholas Veldhuis, also from MIPS, hopes the technology will continue evolving toward clinical use: “Ultimately, [we aim to] deliver a device that will improve the lives of those living with chronic pain conditions.”

The study was published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics on Sunday.

Image: From study