Metabolomics in chronic pain research.

Metabolomics research in chronic pain is in its infancy. Most studies are at the pilot stage. Metabolomics research has been successful in other areas of medicine. These achievements should motivate investigators to expand metabolomics research to improve the understanding of the basic mechanisms of human pain, as well as provide tools to diagnose, predict and monitor chronic pain conditions. Metabolomics research can lead to the identification of biomarkers to support the development and testing of treatments, thereby facilitating personalized pain medicine.