The article was published in the print edition of Clarín's regional supplement. We share its transcript:

The time between the start of health-related research and the final result can last decades. Shortening that timeframe is one of the goals of translational medicine, which refers to the process of applying basic science to solve everyday medical problems. One of those problems to be solved is the pain suffered by patients. In this regard, research by a group of Argentine scientists received an international award.
This is the team made up of Dr. Marcelo Villar, Dr. Florencia Coronel and Dr. Pablo Brumovsky.
They received the 2024 Award for Excellence in Pain Research and Treatment in Developing Countries. It was awarded by the International Association for the Study of Pain, which has been presenting the award since 2005. As the award letter explains, the team's selection for the recognition underscores that their work "serves as a beacon of excellence and inspiration within the global community of pain management professionals."
The research, led by CONICET senior researcher Marcelo Villar, is pioneering in the country and represents a departure from how the issue has been historically addressed. “Traditionally, pain has been linked to a specific pathology, for example, diabetes. It was treated, and that was it. However, there has been a paradigm shift for about 10 years now, which involves treating pain itself,” explains Villar.
The researcher trained in the 1980s and, after completing a doctoral thesis in Argentina and a postdoctoral fellowship in Sweden, returned to the country and began investigating pain-transmitting neurons. Over the years, this work became more complex and comprehensive, to the point that he formally began to chair the Pain Program within the [unspecified institution/organization]. Institute for Translational Medicine Research (IIMT) in 2016.
The organization depends on both Conicet and the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences from the Universidad AustralIt is made up of 60 people, including researchers, fellows, technicians and administrative staff.
The program led by Villar focuses on detecting the mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain. “When we talk about pain, there are two main categories: acute pain and chronic pain. The former is 'good pain'; it protects us because it warns us of damage. But when it persists for more than three months, it becomes chronic pain. This is the type that is very difficult to treat,” explains the senior researcher at CONICET.
The research expanded and became more focused. Thus, under the umbrella of the Pain Program, the Cancer Pain Laboratory was created, supervised by Dr.
Florencia Coronel, and the Laboratory of Mechanisms and Therapeutic Innovation in Pain, led by Dr. Pablo Brumovsky.
“Dr. Coronel is working with the endocannabinoid system.
"It analyzes how cannabis can be used to treat pain," Villar explains.
Meanwhile, Villar and Brumovsky are working on the IMT 504 molecule, developed in Argentina, and are conducting research to transform it into a drug.
In this regard, Villar focuses on translational medicine, which seeks to shorten the time between the laboratory and the patient's reality. "Normally, from what was observed in the laboratory until the patient obtained benefits, it took around 20 years," Villar explains.
Thus, the rapid and thorough development of a drug specifically designed for pain management and without side effects was the key factor in winning the international award. Currently, the research is in Phase 1, in which the molecule is being administered—with ANMAT approval—to three groups of healthy humans. This phase is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.
Phase 2 will then involve testing the drug on patients with painful conditions. “If the research goes well, the drug can be administered in partnership with a laboratory, following medical guidelines and the established procedures for administering this new medication,” Villar states. He estimates that it could be available by the end of 2026.