UF researchers combine expertise to investigate safe pain relief

Dec. 4, 2024 — Whether you’re visiting an orthopedic doctor for a broken bone, a dental surgeon for wisdom teeth removal, or your primary care physician about chest tightness, one of the most common reasons to seek medical care is pain.

“Pain is a component of every disease — Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, anything,” said Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D., who studies the biology of pain at the University of Florida College of Medicine. “This is so critical because, while it’s something you can live with, it severely hampers your quality of life.”

Khanna, the Richard and Thelma O. C. Barney Term Professor in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, recently joined the university to become director of the new Pain Research and Integrated Neuroscience Center, or PRINC. Through PRINC, Khanna and a dozen researchers from across the Florida campus are combining their resources and expertise to investigate safe, healthy pain relief therapies, backed by funding from the National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term, or HEAL, Initiative.