The UCSF Pain and Addiction Research Center (PARC) catalyzes UCSF's collective clinical, research, and education expertise in pain and addiction across our schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, the Graduate School, and the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. By uniting our pain and addiction scientists and clinicians throughout the university, PARC will position UCSF to lead the fight against chronic pain and addiction.
Why UCSF?
We are home to world-class scientists, and we are the largest clinical trials institution in the country. We were on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, so we have a history of leadership in tackling public health crises. The ambitious, interdisciplinary approach of PARC is in UCSF's DNA.
We have a 50-year legacy of achievement in pain and addiction research. Our clinician-scientists demonstrated that the brain could signal the spinal cord to decrease pain and as a result pioneered the use of deep brain stimulation to help patients with chronic pain. UCSF researchers identified the capsaicin receptor TRPV1, spurring the exploration of new, non-addictive pain therapies, including a drug that produces analgesia in mice with fewer side effects than morphine. Our investigators provided fundamental knowledge about the neurochemical mechanisms of opioid addiction and treatment and contributed to our understanding of the development of physical dependence and tolerance to opioids.
Five Thematic Areas of PARC
PARC draws on its members' expertise in five thematic areas of pain and addiction: Prevention and Treatment; Education; Disparities; Pediatrics; and Cancer Pain.
Impact
PARC will provide numerous benefits to UCSF and the broader community grappling with the challenges of the opioid epidemic. These benefits include increased evidenced-based guidelines and educational resources for the effective management of pain and addiction, providing clinicians with effective and time-saving strategies to care for these complex patients. PARC's discovery of new treatments and novel therapeutics will offer new hope to these patients and their families. Now is the time, and UCSF is the place for leadership of the scientific and clinical response to the enormous toll that chronic pain and the opioid epidemic have taken on our country.
Learn More About How You Can Support PARC
Please contact Cheryl Philip, Associate Director of Development, at [email protected] or (415) 730-6580. Or GIVE ONLINE