Pain
Acute, inflammatory, neuropathic, cancer, osteoarthritis, and endometriosis pain models. Clinically relevant preclinical models, behavioral pharmacology, mechanistic biomarkers, and rapid efficacy evaluation.
Executive Summary
Aragen’s In Vivo Pain portfolio supports the discovery and development of novel analgesics, anti-inflammatory therapies, and neuroprotective agents through a broad range of clinically relevant preclinical models, translational readouts, and behavioral pharmacology capabilities. Our expertise spans multiple pain indications, enabling rapid efficacy assessment and mechanistic evaluation of therapeutic candidates.
Pain Model Portfolio
Aragen offers a comprehensive portfolio of validated acute, inflammatory, neuropathic, post-operative, osteoarthritis, cancer, and diabetic pain models designed to accelerate analgesic drug discovery and translational research. Our integrated pain platforms combine validated disease models, behavioral pharmacology, biomarker analysis, and PK/PD assessments to evaluate therapeutic efficacy, target engagement, and translational potential across small molecules, biologics, peptides, and next-generation analgesics.
Acute Pain Models:
Hot Plate Model (Mice & Rats)
Measures centrally mediated nociception and opioid response. Quick-onset pain behaviors. Ideal for screening acute analgesics and central pain mechanisms.
Tail Flick Model
Thermal pain reflex assessment. Rapid test for opioid and non-opioid analgesic efficacy. Standardized withdrawal latency measurement.
Hargreaves Test (Thermal Hyperalgesia)
Quantitative assessment of thermal nociception and heat hypersensitivity in normal (naïve), inflammation-induced, and neuropathic pain models through measurement of heat-induced withdrawal latency. The assay enables evaluation of the analgesic efficacy of standard-of-care therapies as well as novel test articles.
Tactile Allodynia & Mechanical Sensitivity
Assessment of mechanical sensitivity and tactile allodynia in naïve, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain models using Manual Von Frey, Electronic Von Frey, and Dynamic Plantar Aesthesiometer assays.
Dynamic Weight Bearing (Spontaneous Pain Assessment)
Quantitative evaluation of spontaneous pain and limb discomfort through measurement of weight-bearing asymmetry and postural changes in freely moving animals. Applicable to acute and chronic inflammatory pain, osteoarthritis, and musculoskeletal pain models, enabling assessment of functional impairment and analgesic effects of standard-of-care compounds and novel therapeutic candidates.
Formalin Test
Two-phase pain response (acute and inflammatory). Distinguishes between centrally and peripherally acting analgesics. Behavioral scoring of licking/flinching.
Inflammatory Pain Models
CFA-Induced Inflammatory Pain
Freund’s Complete Adjuvant injection in hind paw. Prolonged swelling and mechanical allodynia. Mirrors chronic inflammatory pain conditions. Peak inflammation at 24 hours, lasts minimum 7 days.
Capsaicin-Induced Mechanical Hypersensitivity (Surrogate Model of Neuropathic Pain)
The capsaicin-induced mechanical hypersensitivity model is a well-established preclinical pain model used to mimic key features of neuropathic pain through activation of sensory nerve fibers. It enables rapid, reproducible assessment of pain responses and is widely used to evaluate analgesic compounds, investigate pain mechanisms, and assess the efficacy of novel therapies targeting peripheral and central sensitization.
Carrageenan-Induced Paw Edema
Acute inflammatory response with edema and hyperalgesia. Rapid onset pain behaviors. Useful for short-term anti-inflammatory screening.
MIA (Monoiodoacetate)-Induced Osteoarthritis Pain
Joint degeneration and chronic inflammatory pain. Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Replicates osteoarthritis pain mechanisms.
Destabilization of the Medial Meniscus (DMM)-Induced Osteoarthritis Pain
DMM is a widely used preclinical osteoarthritis (OA) model that induces progressive joint degeneration similar to human OA. It provides a reliable platform for studying disease mechanisms, evaluating therapeutic candidates, and assessing cartilage and bone changes over time.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection (ACLT)-Induced Osteoarthritis Pain
ACLT is a robust post-traumatic OA model that creates joint instability, leading to rapid cartilage degeneration and disease progression. It is commonly used to evaluate disease-modifying therapies, regenerative approaches, and mechanisms underlying OA development.
Destabilization and Cartilage Scratch (DCS)-Induced Osteoarthritis Pain
The DCS model combines joint destabilization with direct cartilage injury to accelerate OA progression and produce more severe cartilage damage. It is particularly valuable for testing advanced therapeutics, cartilage repair strategies, and regenerative medicine interventions.
Neuropathic Pain Models
Chronic Constrictive Injury (CCI) – Bennett Model
Sciatic nerve compression-induced pain. Develops mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Standard model for nerve injury research.
Spared Nerve Injury (SNI) – Chung Model (L5/L6)
A robust and highly reproducible model of peripheral neuropathic pain that closely mimics nerve injury–induced pain in humans. The SNI model generates a sustained pain phenotype with low variability, making it ideal for evaluating acute and chronic analgesic therapies, mechanism-of-action studies, biomarker discovery, and translational pain research.
Spinal Nerve Ligation (L5/L6)
A highly reproducible model of peripheral neuropathic pain induced by L5/L6 spinal nerve ligation, targeting the nerve plexus proximal to the dorsal root ganglion. The model produces a rapid onset of neuropathic pain characterized by robust and sustained pain hypersensitivity with minimal motor deficits, enabling a defined efficacy-testing window. Widely used for evaluating analgesic efficacy, biomarker discovery, central sensitization, and mechanisms underlying chronic neuropathic pain, it supports the assessment of persistent pain-related responses and translational therapeutic outcomes.
Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain – CCI-dION (Chronic Constriction Injury of the Distal Infraorbital Nerve)
A robust and reproducible model of trigeminal neuropathic pain that closely mimics chronic orofacial pain conditions. CCI-dION induces persistent facial allodynia and spontaneous pain-related behaviors, making it ideal for evaluating novel analgesics, biomarkers, and mechanisms underlying trigeminal neuropathic pain.
Streptozotocin (STZ)-Induced Diabetic Neuropathic Pain
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) model. Develops mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Metabolic complications integrated with pain assessment.
Paclitaxel-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)
Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain model. Clinically relevant for cancer patient side effects. Persistent pain-like behaviors.
Post-Operative Pain Models
Post-Incisional Pain Model
Incision-induced acute and persistent pain. Peak pain immediately post-recovery persists for several days. Mirrors postoperative patient pain trajectory. Reduced withdrawal thresholds indicating mechanical hyperalgesia.
Advantages: Robust model, profound and enduring pain response, clinically relevant timeline, rapid onset of behaviors.
Laparotomy with Peritoneal Abrasion
The Mouse Laparotomy with Peritoneal Abrasion (PA) model is a highly translational model of postoperative pain (POP) that recapitulates key features of abdominal surgery, including tissue injury, inflammation, impaired function, recovery, and adhesion formation. By incorporating novel non-evoked pain endpoints such as burrowing, digging, and spontaneous locomotor activity, the model enables sensitive assessment of ongoing pain and functional deficits that more closely reflect the patient experience than traditional reflex-based assays. This approach enhances clinical relevance for evaluating novel analgesics, investigating neuroimmune and inflammatory pain mechanisms, studying recovery and chronic post-surgical pain, and identifying translational biomarkers of pain, healing, and surgical outcomes.
Cancer Pain Model
Tumor-induced pain (bone cancer, visceral cancer). Evaluates analgesics for cancer patient populations. Mechanistic understanding of tumor-pain signaling.
Advanced Capabilities
Behavioral Pharmacology
Trained operators for precise pain behavior scoring (licking, flinching, withdrawal latency). Multiple time-point assessments. Standardized protocols ensuring reproducibility.
Multiple Administration Routes
Oral (PO), Intraperitoneal (IP), Intravenous (IV), Subcutaneous (SC), Intramuscular (IM). Supporting diverse modality types and formulations.
Mechanistic Endpoints
Target engagement assays, biomarker profiling (cytokines, neurotrophic factors, inflammatory markers). PK/PD correlation. Gene expression analysis of pain-relevant pathways.
Flexible Study Designs
Acute dosing (single administration), chronic dosing (repeated administration), dose-response studies, mechanistic studies with surrogate endpoints.
Integration with Other Platforms
DMPK support (PK/PD correlation), in vitro pharmacology (electrophysiology, receptor binding), histopathology of nerve/spinal tissue.
Why Choose Aragen for Pain Research
Validated Models with Proven Efficacy Prediction: Decades of experience validating pain models with known analgesic compounds. Reproducible pain-related behaviors across cohorts. Standardized protocols ensuring data quality.
Rapid Study Turnaround: Pre-trained operators and established protocols enable quick study initiation. Pain endpoints assessed over days to weeks (vs. months for tumor models). Cost-effective screening for hit identification.
Flexible Therapeutic Scope: Support for small molecules, biologics, peptides, novel modalities. Assessment of mechanism-specific pain relief. Nociceptive, neuropathic, inflammatory, and cancer pain evaluation.
Comprehensive Pain Assessment: Behavioral pharmacology with detailed pain behavior scoring. Mechanistic biomarker integration. PK/PD correlations informing clinical dose prediction.
GLP Compliance & Regulatory Readiness: OECD GLP-compliant study conduct. Regulatory-aligned documentation. Support for IND packages and clinical trial design.
Clinical Relevance & Translational Value
Each pain model is designed to mirror human pain conditions in onset, persistence, mechanism, and responsiveness to therapeutics. By selecting the appropriate model(s) aligned with your therapeutic target, you gain confidence that preclinical efficacy will translate to clinical benefit.
Post-incisional and cancer pain models are particularly valuable for acute pain indication development, while CFA-induced, MIA, and neuropathic models support chronic pain therapeutic development.
