This project was selected for funding under the University of Haifa’s Impact Research Initiative (2024–2025) and supported by a NIS 50,000 grant from the Innovation and Sustainability Division.
The awarded research reflects the University’s leadership in shaping a more sustainable future, positioning academic research as a catalyst for social responsibility, environmental resilience and long-term impact.
Chronic pain affects nearly 40% of Israel’s population, with most cases classified as oncoplastic, originating from altered pain processing in the central nervous system rather than tissue damage. For these patients, conventional biomedical treatments and standard psychotherapies often fall short.
Building on the proven Personalized Danger Signal Reprocessing (PDSR) approach developed at the Integrative Pain Lab, led by Prof. Pavel Goldstein, this project aims to develop a multilingual virtual agent for the early identification and treatment of oncoplastic pain. PDSR has demonstrated significant clinical outcomes, including substantial reductions in pain, PTSD, depression and anxiety, with more than half of patients reporting full recovery. However, high costs and limited availability of trained professionals restrict access, particularly in underserved regions.
The virtual agent will deliver remote, personalized PDSR-based care in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Russian. By removing economic and logistical barriers, the solution is designed to expand access to effective pain treatment at scale, reduce reliance on opioids, ease pressure on healthcare systems and improve quality of life and productivity for people living with chronic pain, especially in high-risk, trauma-affected populations.