Experiencing physical pain is part of being human; however, a large number of people suffer from chronic pain due to arthritis and other underlying causes. In the United States alone, one in seven people suffer from one form of arthritis or another. That’s roughly 37 million people. Another 86 million people experience some sort of chronic pain ranging from slight discomfort to debilitating. Not all of the chronic pain experienced by people has a known underlying cause. This makes diagnosis and treatment much harder. More often than not, health professionals can only help manage the pain, but cannot do anything to make it stop permanently.

The Arthritis & Chronic Pain Research Institute was formed in order to help find solutions for people suffering from different types of chronic pain. They support a number of scientists who research on the different aspects of chronic pain from understanding pain receptors to finding analgesics that are safe and effective to use. The research done by the institute revolves around understanding what causes chronic pain and finding ways to treat the underlying causes. They are also working to develop compounds that would serve as pain relievers once they bind with one or more of the brain’s pain receptors. In fact, several compounds have already been discovered to be effective with one of the brain’s many pain receptors. The compounds have already been turned over to a pharmaceutical company for further testing and development.

The institute is also active in publishing their findings and sharing information in order to widen the knowledge of scientists and medical professionals who work directly with chronic pain management and treatment and inspire collaboration. The institute also provides support for a number of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students who wish to go into the pain research field in the future.