Analgesia: Methods and Protocols (Methods of Molecular Biology)

Abstract

A Szallasi ( ed .) Humana Press , 2010 , ISBN 978-1603273220 , 560 pp., Price £112.50 (hard cover) This large reference text is part of the Springer Protocols Methods in Molecular Biology series, but this might give a false impression of the material it covers. In fact, its editor has taken on a hugely ambitious project: a truly ‘bench to bedside’ text that includes experimental pain models from flies and worms (Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans) to humans via mice and rats. Each of its 39 chapters is written by acknowledged experts in the field of pain research, and encompasses not only models of pain research but also up-to-date chapters on research techniques, such as RNA interference, gene expression analysis, proteomics and mesenchymal stem cell technology. All chapters follow a clear structure. Each one begins with a comprehensive and fully referenced introduction that is generally of a very high quality. Thereafter, there is a section listing the materials required, which is of sufficient detail to allow the reader to prepare themselves completely to perform the procedure. Those concerning molecular and cellular techniques read somewhat like recipes, but will be invaluable to anyone hoping to reproduce them in their laboratory or unit. Finally, there is a similarly clear section giving exact details of the methods required for the experiment. The same format is followed in the more clinically themed chapters; for example, a very sound chapter that imparts useful advice about how to address variability in pain measurement in clinical trials. Here, on occasions, the book format is found wanting – some of these complex procedures can only really be learnt by observation and hands-on experience. This project is ambitious enough without introducing a multi-media component, but some links to web based video resources would have been welcome. The illustrations that are included would benefit from the wider use of colour (especially the histochemistry images), and one or two of the figures are poorly drawn or reproduced. I was very pleased to see that the first two chapters focused on alternatives to mammalian pain models, providing basic pain science researchers with the tools with which to replace, refine and reduce their reliance on experimental animals. After that, it was a rollercoaster ride through a hugely wide variety of techniques and models. The juxtaposition of some chapters can be somewhat incongruous; for example, a chapter concerning the value of the dental impaction pain model in drug development lies adjacent to one on live-cell imaging. Inevitably, with such a wide remit, not all chapters will be of relevance to all active pain researchers. There will be few with a research portfolio that spans the measurement of cell membrane protein interactions and non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation of the human cerebral cortex. However, as research becomes increasingly translational, it is important that basic and clinical scientists gain an understanding of each other’s techniques – and this text fulfils that requirement. It is a valuable reference text for any department or laboratory that conducts pain research.