An estimated 100 million people in America are in need of better, more personalized treatments for pain, and a team at Yale University has proven how it should be done. Their research has shown that by using a pharmacogenomics approach which analyzes the genomes of patients, it is possible to predict and therefore reduce the likelihood of adverse drug effects.

After studying the genomic background of patients suffering from inherited erythromelalgia (also known as "Man-On-Fire" syndrome), Yale University researchers wanted to determine if pain from this syndrome could be attenuated via pharmacotherapy. This syndrome causes excruciating burning pain due to gain-of-function mutations in Nav1.7 that make pain-signaling neurons hyperexcitable.

Stephen Waxman, MD, PhD, led this research at Yale University alongside his team. He will be presenting his research at Arrowhead's 10th Annual Pain & Migraine Therapeutics Summit, October 19-20, 2016 in Chicago, Il. For more information on the pain summit, visit: www.paintherapeuticsummit.com.

After conducting this study, it was realized that a reduction in pain was paralled by a shift in brain activity from areas involving emotional processing to areas encoding accurate sensation. This research demonstrates that pharmacotherapy, guided by genomic analysis and functional profiling, can reduce neuropathic pain in patients with inherited erythromelalgia. To read more about this study, visit: http://bit.ly/1Vkr0Zr.

The 10th Annual Pain & Migraine Therapeutics Summit is the US's premier pain conference covering the field of pain research and therapeutics. With various stakeholders in pharmaceutical, biotech, device and medical communities attending, this conference will provide multi-faceted perspectives on the latest pain research. For more information, please download a brochure at: www.paintherapeuticsummit.com/brochure

For more information, please contact: John Waslif: Managing Director, Arrowhead Publishers, 866-945-0263, john.waslif@arrowheadpublishers.com

Rachel Donlon: Marketing Associate, Arrowhead Publishers, 866-945-0263 ext. 701, Rachel.donlon@arrowheadpublishers.com