Exclusive Speaker Interview with Stephen Hunt, Professor, UCL, ahead of Pain Therapeutics
SMi Group have released an interview with Stephen Hunt, Professor at UCL, where he discussed his expertise and role in the industry, what he’s looking forward to at this year’s Pain Therapeutics conference and more.
The 20th Annual Pain Therapeutics Conference will convene in London on 11th and 12th May 2020 to explore the current state of pain treatment, including choosing the right preclinical models, overviewing clinical success up to date, highlighting cutting-edge research and evaluating the potential of drug candidates in the pipelines of leading pharmaceuticals.
SMi Group caught up with conference speaker Stephen Hunt, Professor, UCL, to find out more about his expertise and role in the industry, what he’s looking forward to at this year’s Pain Therapeutics conference, what vital topic he’ll be addressing in his presentation, and much more.
Professor Stephen Hunt received his doctorate in Neuroscience from University College London. From 1980 he was a scientific staff member at the Lab of Molecular Biology in Cambridge but moved back to UCL in 1998 as Professor of Molecular Neuroscience. His research has been concentrated on the relationship between molecules and behaviour particularly around the neurobiology of pain, depression and addiction. Most recently he has been working with Professor Bazbek Davletov and Dr Maria Maiaru leveraging the neurotoxic properties of the botulinum toxin to specifically silence key pain-processing neurons. He was elected a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2001.
Here is a snapshot of what was discussed:
Can you tell us a little bit about your background in investigating mechanisms of pain?
“I have been studying pain mechanisms -off and on- for the past thirty years both in Cambridge and in London at UCL. My interests initially started with our discovery of rapid molecular changes in the dorsal horn specifically following injury and progressed through a behavioural and molecular analysis of both pain and its co-morbidities such as anxiety and depression.”
Botulinum based treatments are emerging as potential pain therapy, how would you describe where this field is at the moment?
“Botox has been used in the clinic for treatment of neuropathic pain and modest reductions in pain scores were seen in some patients. Davletov and others developed a clever method of deconstructing Botulinum toxin and produced an extended molecule that was analgesic but did not paralyse the neuromuscular junction and was safe to synthesise under normal laboratory conditions. This might prove to be of enormous value when extensive peripheral injections are being planned. They are clearly much safer to use and expand the use of botulinum injections for the control of painful peripheral neuropathies.”
The full interview can be downloaded from http://www.pain-therapeutics.co.uk/pr2
Stephen will be presenting on day two of the conference “Novel Botulinum-Based Constructs for the Long-Term Control of Persistent Pain States in Mice.”
The full agenda and speaker line-up can be viewed online at http://www.pain-therapeutics.co.uk/pr2
For sponsorship enquiries contact Alia Malick on +44 (0)20 7827 6164 or amalick@smi-online.co.uk
For media enquiries, contact Simi Sapal on +44 (0) 20 7827 6000 or ssapal@smi-online.co.uk
Pain Therapeutics 2020
Conference: 11th – 12th May 2020
Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK
http://www.pain-therapeutics.co.uk/pr2
#SMiPain
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About SMi Group:
Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world’s most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at http://www.smi-online.co.uk
