Plenary sessions at the 2026 World Congress on Pain will feature international experts sharing insights into pain research, treatment, and management. These sessions will engage World Congress attendees by spotlighting critical advances and big-picture themes in pain science.
Exploring Synaptic Transmission to Better Understand Mechanisms of Chronic Pain
Yves De Koninck, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC, examines how chloride dysregulation in spinal sensory neurons disrupts inhibitory control and drives key features of neuropathic pain. He explores how altered synaptic transmission leads to hyperalgesia, allodynia, and spontaneous pain, and considers how targeting chloride homeostasis offers new and unconventional directions for chronic pain therapeutics.
Yves De Konick, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC
CERVO Brain Research Centre, Canada
Combat Injuries, the Relationship Between Pain, PTSD, and Post-Traumatic Growth
Nicola Fear, PhD, explores the concept of post-traumatic growth and its relevance to chronic pain outcomes. She examines whether positive psychological changes after trauma can be harnessed to improve pain management strategies. Drawing on her expertise with military and veteran populations, she also considers how experiences of trauma and resilience inform the treatment of chronic pain.
Nicola Fear, PhD
King’s College London, UK
Advances in Research on Combination Therapy for the Management of Pain
Ian Gilron, MD, MSc, FRCPC, reviews the latest evidence on using combination therapies to treat acute and chronic pain. This talk covers how different analgesic medications and modalities can be combined to provide more effective relief than monotherapy. He discusses recent clinical trials guiding optimized multi-modal pain management for conditions ranging from postoperative pain to neuropathic pain.
Ian Gilron, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Queen’s University, Canada
Brain Sites Involved in Endogenous Analgesia
Luke Henderson, PhD, illuminates the brain’s intrinsic pain-suppression pathways (endogenous analgesia) through the lens of neuroimaging. He identifies key brain regions and circuits that dampen pain signals, and discusses how variations in these systems may explain differences in pain tolerance. Understanding these neural mechanisms may inform new therapies that enhance the body’s natural pain control systems.
Luke Henderson, PhD
University of Sydney, Australia
Bridging Molecules and Mechanisms: Sensory Neurons and Sodium Channels in Neuropathic Pain
Angelika Lampert, MD, will delve into how voltage-gated sodium channels drive pain signaling and how they can be targeted for pain relief. She describes the physiological roles of specific sodium channel subtypes in nerve excitability and neuropathic pain. The presentation also explores the potential of channel-specific therapies and personalized approaches for patients with pain associated with sodium channel dysfunction.
Angelika Lampert, MD
Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Germany
Enhancing the Trustworthiness of Pain Research: A Call to Action
Neil O’Connell, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), will address the critical issue of scientific rigor and reproducibility in pain research. He outlines challenges posed by bias and irreproducibility in current studies and introduces initiatives (such as the ENTRUST-PE project) aimed at improving research credibility. This lecture calls on the pain research community to adopt better practices that enhance the quality and impact of pain science.
Neil O’Connell, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Brunel University London, UK
Prediction and Prevention of Pain After Surgery
Esther Pogatzki‑Zahn, MD, PhD, examines why postoperative pain remains a major healthcare challenge and how it evolves into chronic postsurgical pain. Drawing on translational research from basic science through clinical trials, she will explore the complex nociceptive and neuropathic mechanisms underpinning acute and chronic postsurgical pain, emphasising the role of comorbidities, patient‑reported outcomes, and core outcome sets. Pogatzki‑Zahn discusses how integrating standardized definitions, responsive patient‑reported measures, and biological markers can improve risk prediction and enable mechanism‑informed, personalised perioperative pain prevention.
Esther Pogatzki-Zahn, MD, PhD
University Hospital Muenster, Germany
Under Pressure: Lessons from and Beyond Entrapment Neuropathies
Annina Schmid, MSc, PhD, discusses why entrapment neuropathies—such as radiculopathies and carpal tunnel syndrome—are the most common cause of nerve injury and neuropathic pain. Drawing on well-phenotyped patient cohorts, she integrates cellular and molecular analyses of human biosamples with clinical assessments and advanced MR neurography to elucidate the neurobiological and psychosocial factors that shape divergent recovery trajectories and treatment responses. Schmid explores mechanistic insights that extend beyond classical neuropathic pain and asks whether embracing this complexity can enable more precise, personalised interventions for neuropathic pain.
Annina Schmid, PhD, MManipTher
Oxford University, UK
Exercise Therapy for Chronic Pain: Basic Science and Clinical Practice
Emiko Senba, MD, PhD, explores why exercise is a powerful tool in chronic pain management from both scientific and clinical perspectives. She reviews how physical exercise influences the nervous system and can lead to long-term pain reduction (through mechanisms of exercise-induced hypoalgesia). The session also provides practical insights on integrating exercise programs into pain treatment plans to improve patient outcomes.
Emiko Senba, MD, PhD
Osaka University, Japan
Advancing Equitable Pain Research and Care Globally
Saurab Sharma, PhD, addresses the challenges and opportunities of bringing high-value, evidence-based pain care to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Focusing on prevalent conditions like low back pain and musculoskeletal pain, he shares strategies for implementing effective treatments in resource-limited settings. The talk highlights global collaborations and health system innovations to improve pain outcomes for underserved populations worldwide.
Saurab Sharma, PhD
University of Sydney, Australia/Nepal
Reimagining Paediatric Pain Care: Toward a Mechanistic and Patient-Centered Future
Laura Simons, PhD, presents a vision for the future of pediatric pain management that merges scientific insight with patient-centered care. She reviews emerging mechanistic findings in pediatric pain and how they inform more effective, individualized treatments for children and adolescents. The talk highlights innovative approaches that empower young patients and their families in managing pain.
Laura Simons, PhD
Stanford University, USA
Spontaneous Neuropathic Pain
Clifford Woolf, MB, BCh, PhD, explores spontaneous neuropathic pain as a distinct and clinically significant component of neuropathic pain, separate from stimulus-evoked symptoms. Drawing on integrated molecular, cellular, and systems-level studies of painful neuromas in both humans and rodent models, he identifies key mechanistic drivers of spontaneous pain. This work reframes how neuropathic pain is understood and highlights new, mechanism-based therapeutic opportunities to address one of its most disabling features.
Clifford Woolf, MB, BCh, PhD
Harvard University, USA