Pain is a debilitating condition that affects the life of one in five Australians and has significant socioeconomic impact. Currently available pain killers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects including sedation and addiction. We have discovered a novel compound that avoids these side effects and provides effective analgesia as well as opioid-sparing effects in a number of relevant animal models. The aim of this project is to progress the compound towards clinical development.
Novel Analgesic Approaches: Harnessing Functional Interactions Between Sodium Channels And Opioids
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,076.00
Summary
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects the life of one five Australians and has significant socioeconomic impact. Currently available pain killers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects. We have discovered that combination treatment with opioids and a novel venom-derived compound discovered by us provides effective pain relief. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms underlying this synergistic effect to develop new treatment approaches for pain.
Pain is one of the most frequent and costly health problems faced by Australia. Currently available painkillers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects. We thus need better approaches to treat pain. This project will define the role of the novel pain target Nav1.6 in clinically relevant pain states, including burns pain and chemotherapy-induced pain, with the aim to develop novel treatment approaches and painkillers for these difficult-to-treat conditions.
Silencing Visceral Nociceptors By Targeting NaV1.1: A Novel Therapeutic Approach For Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$696,809.00
Summary
Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome suffer from chronic abdominal pain and co-morbidities such as over-active bladder. These symptoms arise from sensory nerve fibres in the colon and bladder that signal pain to innocuous stimuli. We are excited to report that a specific voltage-gated sodium channel, called NaV1.1, plays a key pathological role in generating these symptoms. Here, we will specifically target and block NaV1.1 expressing pain-sensing neurons, provide key advances for therapies.
The Role Of Sodium Channels In Pain And Cold Allodynia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,306.00
Summary
Many types of chronic pain remain poorly treated and severely impact the quality of life of millions of Australians. Cold allodynia in particular, which occurs in several painful human conditions and leads to severe pain from simply touching a cool surface or item, is poorly understood and thus difficult to treat. The aim of this project is to determine the pharmacological mechanism of cold allodynia to develop novel treatment approaches.
A Pharmacological Approach To Define The Contribution Of Nav1.7 To Pain Pathways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$501,467.00
Summary
Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects the life of one in five Australians and has significant socioeconomic impact. Currently available pain killers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects. We have discovered the most selective blocker for a specific type of sodium channel that is a known pain target and will use this novel molecule to gain insight into the mechanisms of pain and to develop new pain killers.
Professor Lewis is a molecular pharmacologist interested in discovering new venom peptides and ciguatoxins and determining how they interact with the membrane proteins they target using advanced biochemical and spectroscopic methods. Peptides of interest are then modified to improve potency and selectivity. Those with appropriate properties are patented and developed for clinical applications using approaches successfully applied to Xen2174, a conopeptide analogue I co-discovered that is now in ....Professor Lewis is a molecular pharmacologist interested in discovering new venom peptides and ciguatoxins and determining how they interact with the membrane proteins they target using advanced biochemical and spectroscopic methods. Peptides of interest are then modified to improve potency and selectivity. Those with appropriate properties are patented and developed for clinical applications using approaches successfully applied to Xen2174, a conopeptide analogue I co-discovered that is now in Phase II clinical trials for severe pain.Read moreRead less