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.
A Balancing Act: Neuronal Ion Homeostasis and 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 Koninck, PhD, FCAHS, FRSC
CERVO Brain Research Centre, Canada
Advances in Research on Combination Therapy for the Management of Pain
Ian Gilron, MD, MSc, FRCPC, reviews the evidence on analgesic drug combinations, including beneficial and adverse interactions. He discusses which combinations need stronger evidence and how future trials can better establish their benefits and safety.
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
The University of Sydney, Australia
Bridging Molecules and Mechanisms: Sensory Neurons and Sodium Channels in Neuropathic Pain
Angelika Lampert, MD, examines how sleeping nociceptors and sodium-channel function contribute to neuropathic pain. She combines transcriptomic and electrophysiological findings with patient-derived sensory-neuron models to connect molecular mechanisms with human pain.
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 of London, UK
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
Wakayama Medical 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 Pediatric 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
Presidential Lecture: 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