Pain research in 2022: nociceptors and central sensitisation

Abstract

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of transducer molecules for temperature and touch. These two laureates and their teams have made discoveries that were breakthroughs not only for pain research, but also for many other fields, from kidney physiology to clinical oncology, and their Nobel award highlights the relevance of pain research for human physiology and medicine in general. The research that led to the award has also inspired important advances in pain research in 2022.