Towards Precision Medicine in Neuropathic Pain 2: Promise and Pitfalls of Data-Driven Patient Classification

Jack Wilkinson is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Biostatistics at the University of Manchester, UK. His research interests cover both the application, development, and criticism of methods for the evaluation of health interventions, with a particular interest in interventions for the treatment of subfertility, including assisted reproductive technologies (ART). He is a statistical editor for Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility. He additionally has a background in undertaking integrity investigations for scientific journals and publishers, and leads the NIHR-funded INSPECT-SR project, which has developed a tool for identifying ‘problematic’ randomised controlled trials, including those subject to data fabrication or falsification.

Annina Schmid is Professor of Pain Neurosciences and a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford University in the UK. She leads the Neuromusculoskeletal Health and Science Lab (https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/research/neuromusculoskeletal-health-and-science-lab) which uses a translational and interdisciplinary approach to study the pathophysiology of neuromusculoskeletal conditions with the ultimate goal to improve management for patients. Annina and her team specialise in deep clinical phenotyping combining clinical methodologies (e.g. psychophysical testing, neurophysiological recordings, sensory profiling) with advanced neuroimaging (e.g. diffusion tensor imaging, MR neurography) and cellular and molecular analyses of human bio-samples to gain a detailed understanding of changes associated with nerve injuries and neuropathic pain. Annina also has a special interest in the physiotherapeutic management of neuropathic pain, entrapment neuropathies and other neuromusculoskeletal conditions with the ambition to develop precision therapy for these patients. Annina has published her work in leading clinical and basic science journals. Her research contribution is recognised by the award of several prizes, most recently the prestigious Emerging Leaders Prize in Pain Research from the Medical Research Foundation. She has won seven highly competitive fellowships and has been the first allied health professional to be awarded the Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust. In addition to her research activities, Annina teaches postgraduate courses related to pain and neuroscience internationally. She also maintains a weekly caseload as a specialist musculoskeletal Physiotherapist. Further information can be found at https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/annina-schmid. 

Dr Andreas C. Themistocleous is an MRC Clinician Scientist at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, and an Honorary Consultant in Clinical Neurophysiology at Oxford University Hospitals. His research focuses on understanding how peripheral nerve injury leads to chronic neuropathic pain. He uses advanced neurophysiological techniques, including microneurography and axonal excitability testing, to study sensory nerve function in patients with neuropathic pain and small fibre neuropathy.