One of The Walton Centre’s Pain Medicine consultants’ Dr Andreas Goebel has recently attained a professorship with the University of Liverpool, after demonstrating substantial progress in research into causes and new treatments for chronic primary pain.

Professor Goebel’s research includes developing an understanding the role of the adaptive immune system in causing severe, seemingly unexplained, chronic pain, focusing on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).

He said: “I’m delighted I have been awarded this position. I am passionate about furthering our knowledge of chronic pain, how it’s caused, and how it can be treated. I am confident that we are getting closer to finding answers which will enable us to care for patients with severe chronic pain more effectively.

“I hypothesised that patients with CRPS and FMS had a special dysfunction (called ‘autoimmunity’) of their immune systems that was interfering with the nervous system. By confirming this hypothesis, our results have opened doors to new, potentially groundbreaking diagnostic and treatment technologies. We may also be able to catch some of these conditions earlier, and potentially even prevent them from developing.”

Professor Goebel has been a Senior Lecturer and Reader at the University of Liverpool since 2008. He also sees patients as part of The Walton Centre’s pain service, one of the largest in the UK.

Dr Andy Nicolson, The Walton Centre’s Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “It’s always a proud moment to see one of our consultants attain a professorship – an incredible academic achievement. The work that Andreas is doing in pain research is exciting. If his research leads clinicians to better treatments and be involved more in diagnostic work, then it will be an advancement for not just The Walton Centre, but clinicians from across the country, and the world!”