Lilac Biosciences and Soin Neuroscience Publish Clinical Review on RNA Biomarkers for Objective Neuropathic Pain Assessment
Key Insights
A joint clinical review published in *Frontiers in Pain Research* outlines how RNA biomarkers, including m6A modifications, could enable objective measurement of neuropathic pain (search), moving beyond reliance on subjective patient reporting.
The review presents a translational roadmap to bridge RNA biomarker science from molecular measurement into practical clinical tools for pain characterization, treatment selection, and monitoring.
The collaboration combines Lilac Biosciences (search)' quantitative RNA workflows from Brown University's Giuliani RNA Center with Soin Neuroscience (search)'s clinical pain-management and neuromodulation expertise.
A peer-reviewed clinical review published in Frontiers in Pain Research proposes a framework for translating RNA biomarker science into objective clinical tools for assessing and monitoring neuropathic pain (search)—a condition that has historically defied quantitative measurement and forced clinicians to rely on subjective patient-reported symptoms.
The article, titled "New Insight into RNA Biomarkers in Neuropathic Pain (search): A Clinician and Neuroscientist Roadmap to Translational Testing and Treatment Monitoring," represents a joint effort between Lilac Biosciences (search) Inc., a life sciences company spun out of the Giuliani RNA Center at Brown University, and Soin Neuroscience (search), a developer of neuromodulation technologies for chronic pain and neurological disorders.
Addressing a Longstanding Clinical Challenge
Neuropathic pain (search) has long presented a fundamental challenge in clinical practice: its severity and response to treatment are inherently difficult to quantify. The review tackles this problem by examining how RNA biomarkers—including RNA modifications such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A) (search)—could help characterize pain, support treatment selection, and monitor a patient's response over time.
"Pain is experienced subjectively, but it is driven by underlying molecular events," said Amol Soin, M.D., founder and CEO of Soin Neuroscience (search). "Identifying reproducible changes in RNA may give us an opportunity to measure and manage neuropathic pain (search) with far greater precision. RNA biomarkers may also provide important insight into the mechanisms through which neuromodulation therapies produce pain relief."
A Translational Roadmap from Bench to Bedside
The authors outline a translational roadmap designed to move RNA biomarker research from molecular measurement toward practical clinical applications. The review addresses the challenge from both clinical and laboratory perspectives, bridging the gap between molecular biology and everyday pain management.
The publication builds upon an ongoing collaboration that combines Lilac's quantitative RNA workflows and molecular-analysis capabilities with Soin Neuroscience (search)'s clinical pain-management and neuromodulation expertise. Lilac Biosciences (search), based in Providence, Rhode Island, develops next-generation tools to measure RNA modifications, integrity, and quality, creating reproducible quantitative RNA workflows that connect molecular insight with clinically relevant questions.
Complementary Expertise Driving Innovation
"Publishing this review with Dr. Soin and his team reflects Lilac's mission to translate RNA-based technologies into applied research and, ultimately, clinically meaningful tools," said Shreyas Shah, vice president of business and commercial operations at Lilac Biosciences (search). "This collaboration brings together complementary scientific and clinical perspectives that can help advance the development of objective approaches to understanding and monitoring neuropathic pain (search)."
The full review is available in Frontiers in Pain Research, providing clinicians and researchers with a comprehensive examination of how RNA biomarkers could transform the assessment and management of neuropathic pain (search) through objective, molecular-level measurement.