Sadly, the opioid crisis continues to devastate the lives of Canadians, and unfortunately, it has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Increased movement toward opioid-sparing pain management strategies means that we are at risk of undertreating serious pain. This can be particularly devastating in children with high burdens of pain, where ongoing pain can interfere with brain development, disrupt behaviour, and increase the risk of chronic pain.
Safe and effective pain management is influenced by individual genetic differences that dictate both the likelihood of pain and whether medications will be safe and effective. Dr. Loucks is using pharmacogenomics to identify genetic factors that can help predict an individual’s need for, and subsequent response to, opioid and non-opioid pain relievers.
Congratulations to Dr. Catrina Loucks and her team at the Loucks Pain Management Pharmacogenomics (PMP) Lab for at their recent award from the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF).
More: