ST. LOUIS (AP) — A two-year grant using federal stimulus money will help researchers at two St. Louis-area universities seek better ways to manage chronic pain by treating neuroinflammation.

The study is funded by the National Institute of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The grant money goes to researchers at Saint Louis University and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Experts say one-third of Americans suffer from some sort of chronic pain. Of those patients, nearly 30 percent are resistant to painkilling medications.

Neuropathic pain is common with arthritis, cancer, diabetes and nerve injuries.

The St. Louis-area researchers are looking at finding a new approach to pain management drugs.