b'Ishmail Abdus-SaboorResearching safe paths to ease painDr. Ishmail Abdus- called opioids after they have surgery or break a Saboor is an bone. Overuse or abuse of pain pills is helping to accomplished cause an opioid epidemic that has killed tens of scientist at the thousands of people in the United States.University of Dr. Abdus-Saboor hesitates to make predictions Pennsylvania, about what science will accomplish by the year but much of his 2035, but hopes that his research will lead to a research work new drug or therapy to block pain, especiallyinvolves failure. long-term, or chronic, pain. The goal is to develop Science is filled pain drugs that are safe and not addictive. with failure, he You might twist an ankle while playing a sport. says. Many of ourSome people might recover in two weeks and experiments dont work and we have to do themothers might have long-term pain. Scientistsover and over. dont yet know why [some] people recover from Out of such failures can come important discoveries. pain more quickly than others, he says. One of We learn more from failure than success, says the big questions of our research is What are the Dr. Abdus-Saboor, who is a molecular biologist,changes to the nervous system that allow chronic meaning he studies the workings of cells. He is anpain to develop?assistant professor and the first African American toMillions of people suffer from pain without good hold that position in Penns Department of Biology.treatment, he says.In his research lab, Dr. Abdus-Saboor does experi- Dr. Abdus-Saboor wanted to become a scientist ments with mice as a way to better understandfrom the time he was a boy growing up in the how humans process pain. He wants to knowGermantown neighborhood of Philadelphia. His how the nerve cells throughout the body receiveinterest in science was nurtured by his third-a signal that something is wrong and then send agrade teacher at John B. Kelly School, who took message of pain to the brain. his class on nature walks. While he was in high Pain is an important area of research becauseschool, his parents even let him build a lab to study people can become addicted to pain medicationscrawfish on the third floor of the familys home.6'