Congratulations to Bob Messing on receiving a grant from the UT Systems Trauma Research and Combat Casualty Care Collaborative (TRC4). TRC4 research grants were established by The University of Texas System Board of Regents and the Texas Legislature to facilitate and funds groundbreaking collaborative basic, clinical, and translational research between UT institutions and the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense Health Agency.

Robert Messing studies mechanisms that underlie addiction and chronic pain with the goal of identifying new drugs to treat these conditions. Through his TRC4-funded project on reducing neuropathic pain after traumatic nerve injury, Messing and co–principal investigator Andrew Gaudet, associate professor of psychology, are advancing research to treat chronic pain resulting from nerve damage with a new, non-opioid medication strategy. The project is titled "Does a small molecule inhibitor of protein kinase C epsilon reduce neuropathic pain following traumatic nerve injury?"

Nerve injury pain is one of the most persistent and difficult-to-treat conditions faced by soldiers and civilians alike. By developing safer, more effective ways to prevent and reverse long-term pain after trauma, their work could improve recovery and quality of life for people healing from injuries, surgeries, and other forms of physical trauma — while reducing dependence on opioids.

For more information about the TRC4 grants, visit the TRC4 website.