# Shaping the future of abdominal and pelvic pain research with novel scientific and technological advances

## TL;DR

This paper explores new scientific and technological advances in understanding and treating abdominal and pelvic pain.

## Contribution

The paper highlights emerging research directions and integrative approaches in abdominal and pelvic pain studies.

## Key findings

- Combinatorial studies are accelerating therapy development for abdominal and pelvic pain.
- New research explores inflammaging and immune regulation in chronic pelvic pain.
- Microphysiological systems and AI are being integrated into pain research.

## Abstract

Abdominal and pelvic pain often originates from one or more visceral organs of the gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal (pelvic floor), urinary, or reproductive systems. Over the past decade, research efforts on abdominal and pelvic pain have advanced considerably, driven by the discovery of new molecular targets, signaling pathways, targeted genetic editing, the use of human tissues, and comprehensive multiomic analyses. Increasingly, the field prioritizes combinatorial and integrative studies that bridge human clinical research with relevant animal models to accelerate the development of novel therapies for affected patients. In addition to established areas of pain research—such as the modulatory role of the central nervous system in chronic pelvic pain (CPP), stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity, sex differences, brain-gut interactions, microbiome influences, comorbidities, and neuromodulation—new research directions continue to emerge. These include exploring the effects of inflammaging and immune regulation in transition from acute to CPP, applying microphysiological systems (MPS) in pain research studies, integrating multiomics analyses, and employing combined artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. This article presents current perspectives on cutting-edge scientific trends and technological innovations shaping the field of abdominal and pelvic pain research.