About the Pain Research Institute

The creation of the Pain Research Institute (PRI) is closely intertwined with the formation of the Pain Relief Foundation (PRF) charity. The PRF was established as a registered charity in 1979 (registered charity number 1156227) in response to the significant need for specialized research into the causes and treatment of chronic pain in humans.

The late Dr. Sampson Lipton, founder and director of the Walton Centre Pain Clinic for nearly 30 years, and two of his colleagues – Mr. John Miles, at the time a consultant neurosurgeon, and Dr. David Bowsher, at the time a Reader at the University of Liverpool, set up the PRI with the support of the PRF.

A grant from the Wolfson Foundation provided the necessary funds for the Pain Research Institute to start work in a temporary building on the Walton Hospital grounds in 1981, with a permanent building built in 1985 on land adjoing Walton Hospital. In 1999, the Walton Centre moved to a new hospital on Fazakerley Hospital site, now known as Aintree University Hospital.

As a result of the Walton Centre’s relocation, the PRF and PRI moved to the new Clinical Sciences Centre for Research and Education at Aintree Hospital. This allowed these organizations to be close to the Walton Centre Pain Clinic, and be part of the Walton Centre’s growing association with the University of Liverpool.

The Pain Research Institute receives no funding from the NHS, the University, or any government body. The institute is entirely supported by charitable donations, fundraising, and research grants.