Congratulations to Neuroscience graduate student Allison Doyle Brackley on being awarded an American Pain Society Young Investigator Travel Award!

The award funds are meant to help defray some of the costs associated with attending the 35th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, May 11-14, 2016 in Austin, Texas.

The APS acknowledges the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) for support of the Young Investigator Travel Award program.

Travel award recipients are invited to attend the Early Career Forum and will receive invitations to participate in the mentored poster rounds and to observe various committee meetings.

Brackley is currently conducting research in the lab of associate professor Nathan Jeske, Ph.D., in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery aimed at identifying novel protein-protein interactions that influence peripheral opioid analgesic competency in the presence and absence of inflammatory mediators.

“If we can understand how inflammation enhances opioid efficacy, these novel interactions can be targeted to improve pharmacotherapy without debilitating central side effects,” Brackley said.

According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose is the leading cause of injury death in the United States.

“Over one-third of these deaths are attributable to opioid prescription painkillers alone,” Brackley said. “Thus, peripherally acting opioids are desirable for eliminating central side effects.”