Our Objectives
The main objectives of our collaborative research group are to identify clinically and therapeutically relevant mediators for chronic itch and related anatomical and functional neuronal changes in patients, as well as identify the role of scratching.
This includes the identification of crucial mediator systems for inflammatory and non-inflammatory chronic pruritus, improvement of target validation on nociceptors or specific pruriceptors and the identification of common and possibly disparate mechanisms of neuronal sensitization in chronic neuropathic itch vs. chronic neuropathic pain.
To this purpose, patients suffering from chronic pain and chronic pruritus of various origins, as well as healthy volunteers, will be included in associated subprojects. Structural analyses will be performed in addition to a functional assessment of each patient. These consist of itch and pain questionnaires, focal electrical stimulation and quantitative sensory testing.
Furthermore, gene expression profiles will be generated for those with chronic pruritus of different origins. The obvious added value of the consortium is the combination of data obtained from different perspectives in the same patient group.
However, this project will be unable to manage the structure and logistics involved in combining the data and exchanging the biopsies. As a platform, collaborations with statisticians, IT experts and bioinformaticians have been established to support the project.
This includes the identification of crucial mediator systems for inflammatory and non-inflammatory chronic pruritus, improvement of target validation on nociceptors or specific pruriceptors and the identification of common and possibly disparate mechanisms of neuronal sensitization in chronic neuropathic itch vs. chronic neuropathic pain.
To this purpose, patients suffering from chronic pain and chronic pruritus of various origins, as well as healthy volunteers, will be included in associated subprojects. Structural analyses will be performed in addition to a functional assessment of each patient. These consist of itch and pain questionnaires, focal electrical stimulation and quantitative sensory testing.
Furthermore, gene expression profiles will be generated for those with chronic pruritus of different origins. The obvious added value of the consortium is the combination of data obtained from different perspectives in the same patient group.
However, this project will be unable to manage the structure and logistics involved in combining the data and exchanging the biopsies. As a platform, collaborations with statisticians, IT experts and bioinformaticians have been established to support the project.