£32m for 'cure' for pain

A volunteer will be zapped with a laser today at the start of a £ 32million project to find a cure for pain.

Paula Anderson is one of more than 100 people who have agreed to take part in the experiment.

The laser beam will cause a sensation similar to an electric shock.

Latest imaging techniques will measure how the pain goes through a volunteer's body and into the brain.

The Pain Research Group at Hope Hospital, Salford, will also use a drug packed with endorphins - the body's natural painkillers - to see if it brings any relief.

Project leader Dr Anthony Jones said the research could help reduce the suffering of those in pain.

He added: 'The brain is bombarded with information about the body all the time. New techniques allow us to eavesdrop on some of the electrical and chemical conversations.

'Our aim is to improve pain control and make it less unpleasant'

Ms Anderson suffers from fibromyalgia, a muscular disorder for which there is no cure but leaves her in constant pain.

'If this laser treatment is going to help find out what causes people's pain, then I don't mind going through a bit of pain,' she said.