APS2025: Annual Scientific Meeting Travel Grant Recipient Report

Yanfei Ban 

Yanfei is currently a PhD student at The University of Queensland (UQ). His interests include α-conotoxins as novel non-opioid analgesics for neuropathic pain relief.

Moments at APS 2025

I am sincerely grateful to the Australian Pain Society (APS) for awarding me the Travel Grant, which enabled me to attend the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM). As a current PhD student researching novel analgesic drug discovery and their mechanisms of action in neuropathic pain models, this opportunity was invaluable for my academic and professional development.

Receiving the Travel Grant greatly alleviated the financial burden of attending the meeting. It helped cover essential costs, including airfare and accommodation, which would otherwise have made participation challenging. With this support, I was able to fully engage in the conference, present my research, and interact with leaders in the field.

At the meeting, I presented my preclinical research on the precise mechanisms of pain relief provided by α-conotoxins, which target GABA_B and α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Although my work was accepted as a poster, I was also given the opportunity to deliver a short oral presentation at the Basic Pain Research (BPR) Special Interest Group (SIG) pre-conference workshop (PCW). This was an unexpected but extremely valuable opportunity to showcase my findings to a broader audience. Several researchers expressed interest in my project, and we had insightful discussions on the challenges associated with investigating such mechanisms in complex pain models. These conversations were not only intellectually stimulating but also inspiring.

This was my first time attending an APS scientific meeting, and I found the experience exceptional. APS demonstrated outstanding organisational proficiency and responsiveness. The events were well co-ordinated, and the conference team was consistently supportive, providing quick responses to queries and offering helpful guidance. I was particularly impressed by the collaborative and welcoming atmosphere throughout the meeting.

One of the most memorable aspects of the ASM was meeting a fellow researcher whose work closely aligns with mine. We exchanged ideas about experimental design and methodologies, and our discussion extended to broader issues in neuropathic pain research. This exchange has left a lasting impression and opened the door for future intellectual collaboration.

I was also fortunate to connect with a potential collaborator with expertise in electrophysiology. As my research currently focuses on in vivo pharmacology, this connection could be instrumental in helping me further interpret and validate my findings through electrophysiological techniques.

Among the many excellent sessions, my favourite was the BPR SIG PCW. It provided a rich overview of neuropathic pain mechanisms, with a particularly engaging discussion on immune-neural crosstalk in chronic constriction injury models. The insights I gained from this workshop will undoubtedly influence my future work.

Looking ahead, I am excited about the prospect of returning to the APS ASM next year. I hope to continue building on the momentum from this year and aim to deliver a full oral presentation. Participating in APS has been a pivotal experience in my journey as a young researcher, and I am thankful for the support and opportunities it has provided.

Declaration: I would like to express my sincere thanks to my advisory team—Emeritus Professor Maree Smith, Associate Professor Richard Clark, and Dr Andy Kuo—for their invaluable support and guidance. I am also grateful to Dr Orada Sriwatananukulkit and Dr Xiaosa Wu for their generous assistance throughout the project.I am supported by an international PhD scholarship from UQ. Funding for this study was provided by the NHMRC. The Centre for Integrated Preclinical Drug Development (CIPDD) is financially supported by National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) funding awarded by Therapeutic Innovation Australia, along with co-investment funds from UQ and the Queensland Government.