Michael Ferraro

RESEARCHER PROFILE

Doctoral Candidate Trial Manager

02 9399 1049

m.ferraro@neura.edu.au

Epidemiology & Population Health Chronic pain Back pain

Michael Ferraro is a clinical researcher and trial manager for the MEMOIR clinical trial. He is member of the Centre for Pain IMPACT, led by Professor James McAuley. Michael’s research is centred around the identification, development and evaluation of treatments for chronic pain. He is also interested in prognosis research and the use of prognostic models, which combine multiple patient characteristics to provide individualised risk predictions.

Michael frequently reviews for prestigious specialty pain journals and his research has been presented at premier conferences both nationally and internationally.

In the MEMOIR trial, Michael will be investigating the efficacy and effectiveness of two novel treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

You can follow Michael’s research below and here: Google Scholar and ORCID.

Projects Michael Ferraro is currently involved with

CURRENT PROJECTS

MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome


PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SYLVIA GUSTIN, MICHAEL FERRARO, DR AIDAN CASHIN, DR SAURAB SHARMA, ANIKA HAIGH, DR HOPIN LEE

MEMOIR is an Australian government-funded clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). MEMOIR is testing two treatments for people with CRPS – a drug, memantine and a rehabilitation program, Graded Motor Imagery. MEMOIR will be conducted remotely, via Telehealth, allowing for Australia-wide recruitment of eligible participants. Please click on the link below to check if you are eligible.

What is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?

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[block] [click] CRPS is a disabling pain disorder. It affects approximately 5,000 people in Australia annually. CRPS is characterised by severe burning, stinging and stabbing pain. People with CRPS may not be able to use their affected limb and their ability to work or participate in normal social activities can be severely restricted. Currently, there are no interventions for CRPS whose efficacy is supported by high-quality evidence.

 

 

 

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MEMOIR – a clinical trial for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Medicines for Back Pain


DR MARKUS HüBSCHER, PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY, MATTHEW K BAGG, MICHAEL WEWEGE, MICHAEL FERRARO, RODRIGO RIZZO, HAYLEY LEAKE, PAULINE ZAHARA, EDEL O’HAGAN, DR AIDAN CASHIN, THIAGO FOLLY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR SYLVIA GUSTIN, DR MATTHEW JONES, DR MARKUS HUEBSCHER

Medicines are the most common treatment for back pain. The aim of this program of research is to improve our understanding of the clinical effects of medicines.

Studies currently in progress:

  1. Scoping review of paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to identify and describe the characteristics of available clinical trials of commonly used analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will inform the design and conduct of other studies in the research program.
  2. Paracetamol, NSAIDs and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Matthew K Bagg). The objective of this study is to produce information about the clinical effects of available analgesic medicines for chronic low back pain. This information will be available in a Cochrane review to assist clinical prescription of medicines. The protocol is published and available here.
  3. Prescribing practices of medicines for adults with low back pain: a systematic review (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to determine how different medicines are prescribed to adults with low back pain and how this differs across countries. The protocol for this study is being developed.
  4. Analgesic medicines for adults with low back pain: a network meta-analysis (led by Michael Wewege). The objective of this study is to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of a range of analgesic medicines for adults across different classifications of low back pain. The protocol for this study has been submitted for publication.
  5. Muscle relaxant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Aidan Cashin and Thiago Folly). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of muscle relaxant medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.
  6. Novel biologic medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Rodrigo Rizzo). The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of novel biologic medicines for adults with low back pain. The protocol is available here.

Completed studies:

  1. Evaluation of the impact of unpublished data from clinical trial registries on the effects of medicines for low back pain (led by Matthew Bagg). The objective of this study was to evaluate whether there is a difference between clinical trial data that are published and those that are not published. The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
  2. Antidepressant medicines for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis (led by Michael Ferraro). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of antidepressant medicines for adults with low back pain. The findings have been submitted for publication. The protocol is available here.

Medicines for Back Pain – Publications:

  • Bagg MK, McLachlan AJ, Maher CG, Kamper SJ, Williams CM, Henschke N, Wand BM, Moseley GL, Hübscher M, O’Connell NE, van Tulder MW, Nikolakopoulou A, McAuley JH. (2018). Paracetamol, NSAIDS and opioid analgesics for chronic low back pain: a network meta-analysis [Protocol]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 6. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013045. PMCID: PMC6513465
  • Bagg MK, O’Hagan E, Zahara P, Wand BM, Hübscher M, Moseley GL, McAuley JH. (2020). Reviews may overestimate the effectiveness of medicines for back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. doi: 10.1016/ j.jclinepi.2019.12.006. PMID: 31816418

Medicines for Back Pain – Registrations of Study Protocols:

  • Folly T, Bagg MK, Wewege M, Ferraro MC, Schabrun S, Gustin SM, Day R, McAuley JH. (2019) UMbRELLA: Understanding efficacy and safety of Muscle RELaxant medicines for Low back pain – systematic Literature review and meta-Analysis (protocol).Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/xuw5h
  • Rizzo RN, Bagg MK, Ferraro MC, Wewege M, Cashin A, Leake HB, O’Hagan E, Jones M, McAuley JH. (2020). Efficacy and safety of medicines targeting neurotrophic factors in the management of low back pain: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/zax6d
  • Ferraro MC, Bagg MK, McAuley JH. (2019). RADICAL: Systematic Review of Anti-Depressant Medicines if Considered Analgesics for Low Back Pain (protocol). Open Science Framework, available at: https://osf.io/cedm3

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Medicines for Back Pain

RESEARCH TEAM

DR SAURAB SHARMA Postdoctoral Research Fellow : saurab.sharma@neura.edu.au

YANNICK GILANYI Research Associate : y.gilanyi@neura.edu.au

BRISHNA SHAH Research Associate : b.shah@neura.edu.au

JACK DEVONSHIRE Honours Student : j.devonshire@neura.edu.au

HARRISON HANSFORD Honours Student : h.hansford@neura.edu.au

DR MARKUS HÜBSCHER Honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow : m.huebscher@neura.edu.au

DR ADRIAN TRAEGER Postdoctoral Research Fellow : a.traeger@neura.edu.au

RODRIGO RIZZO PhD Candidate : r.rizzo@neura.edu.au

HAYLEY LEAKE Doctoral Candidate : h.leake@neura.edu.au

DR MATTHEW JONES Postdoctoral Research Fellow : matthew.jones@unsw.edu.au

MICHAEL WEWEGE Doctoral Candidate : m.wewege@neura.edu.au

THIAGO FOLLY Research Assistant

ANIKA HAIGH Research Assistant : a.haigh@neura.edu.au

PAULINE ZAHARA Research Assistant

DR IAN SKINNER Postdoctoral Research Fellow

DR HOPIN LEE Honorary Postdoctoral Research Fellow

MATTHEW K BAGG PhD Candidate : m.bagg@neura.edu.au

DR AIDAN CASHIN Postdoctoral Research Fellow : 02 9399 1870
: a.cashin@neura.edu.au

EDEL O’HAGAN PhD Candidate : e.ohagan@neura.edu.au

SUPERVISORS

PROFESSOR JAMES MCAULEY Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader, NeuRA Director, Centre for Pain IMPACT Professor, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney

PUBLICATIONS

Efficacy and Safety of Medicines Targeting Neurotrophic Factors in the Management of Low Back Pain: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Rizzo RRN, Ferraro MC, Wewege MA, Cashin AG, Leake HB, O'Hagan ET, Jones MD, Gustin SM, McAuley JH
JMIR Res Protoc. 2021 Jan;10(1):e22905. doi: 33480861. Epub 2020 Jan.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of medicines targeting neurotrophins in patients with LBP and sciatica. This systematic review and meta-analysis will assess the evidence for the efficacy and safety of NGF inhibitors for pain in patients with nonspecific LBP and sciatica. The inclusion of new studies and unpublished data may improve the precision of the effect estimates and guide regulatory actions of the medications for LBP and sciatica.

Analgesic medicines for adults with low back pain: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Wewege MA, Bagg MK, Jones MD, McAuley JH,
Syst Rev. 2020 11;9(1):255. doi: 33148322. Epub 2020 Nov.

Efficacy, acceptability, and safety of antidepressants for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ferraro MC, Bagg MK, Wewege MA, Cashin AG, Leake HB, Rizzo RRN, Jones MD, Gustin SM, Day R, Loo CK, McAuley JH
Syst Rev. 2021 02;10(1):62. doi: 33627178. Epub 2020 Feb.

Treatment of LBP with antidepressants is associated with small reductions in pain intensity and increased odds of stopping treatment for any reason, compared to placebo. The effect on pain is not clinically important. The effect on acceptability warrants consideration. These findings provide Level I evidence to guide clinicians in their use of antidepressants to treat LBP.