Latest news with #DukeAnesthesiologyCenterforTranslationalPainMedicine
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
‘Exciting' new non-opioid painkiller shows promising results — and doesn't build up tolerance
A real ache-ievement! Duke University researchers have devised a promising, potent pain reliever — seemingly without the harmful side effects and addictive highs of opioids. While opioids interact with numerous cellular pathways, the experimental drug is more selective. SBI-810 targets a receptor in the brain and spinal cord, activating a single pain-relief signal while steering clear of other signals that could trigger troublesome consequences. Advertisement 3 Ru-Rong Ji, an anesthesiology and neurobiology researcher who directs the Duke Anesthesiology Center for Translational Pain Medicine, led the team in developing the painkiller SBI-810. Duke University School of Medicine 'What makes this compound exciting is that it is both analgesic and non-opioid,' said senior study author Ru-Rong Ji, an anesthesiology and neurobiology researcher who directs the Duke Anesthesiology Center for Translational Pain Medicine. '[The receptor] is a promising target for treating acute and chronic pain,' Ji added. Advertisement Chronic pain is a persistent problem in the US. Nearly a quarter of adults, about 62 million, experienced it in 2023. Chronic pain has helped fuel the opioid crisis. About 8.6 million Americans 12 years and older reported misusing prescription opioids in 2023. And almost 70% of the 107,000-plus US drug overdose deaths that year were attributed to opioids such as fentanyl. 3 Chronic pain is a persistent problem in the US, with about 62 million adults experiencing it in 2023. AS/ – Advertisement The good news is that there has been recent progress on this front, with more treatment options and fewer opioid-related deaths. It's too early to tell if SBI-810 can help the cause. The drug has not been thoroughly tested in humans, but the results in mice have been encouraging. Opioids like morphine often lead to tolerance with repeated use, requiring higher or more frequent doses to maintain the same level of pain control. Advertisement SBI-810 relieved pain from surgical incisions, bone fractures and nerve injuries without a buildup of tolerance or constipation, another common opioid side effect. 3 The experimental drug SBI-810 targets a receptor in the brain and spinal cord, activating a single pain-relief signal. mybox – When coupled with small doses of opioids, SBI-810 made them more effective at lower doses. And it's said to work better than the painkillers oliceridine and gabapentin in certain situations. The findings were published recently in the journal Cell. Ji's team has secured several patents for SBI-810 and hopes to start human trials soon.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
An experimental painkiller could be the key to solving the opioid epidemic
An experimental drug developed by researchers at Duke University could be a key component in solving the nation's opioid epidemic. Known as 'SBI-810,' the drug avoids the 'high' that is tied to addiction to the pain-relieving drugs. The need for such a breakthrough is great, even as U.S. overdose deaths decline. Recent data showed they fell by 30,000 last year, but more than 80,000 people still died from the drugs. Drug overdose deaths have been increasing in the U.S. since the 1990s, mostly due to the use of opioids. 'What makes this compound exciting is that it is both analgesic and non-opioid,' Dr. Ru-Rong Ji, an anesthesiology and neurobiology researcher who directs the Duke Anesthesiology Center for Translational Pain Medicine, said in a statement. Well-known drugs like Advil and Tylenol are analgesic drugs, which are also known as painkillers. Ji was the senior author of the related Department of Defense- and National Institutes of Health-funded research, which was published on Monday in the journal Cell. Duke said the drug has undergone trials in mice, working well on its own. When used in combination with opioids, it made them more effective at lower doses, the authors said. Opioids increase levels of dopamine in the brain, which is often referred to as the 'happy hormone.' In turn, that dopamine and opioids work together to generate the high. But, over time, the body needs higher doses to feel the same effect. Like opioids, SBI-810 works on the nervous system to relieve pain. The experimental compound is designed to target a receptor – the brain receptor neurotensin receptor 1 – found on the spinal cord and nerve cells that function to transmit information to the central nervous system. The difference between opioids and SBI-810 is that Duke's drug takes a more focused approach than opioids. Instead of flooding multiple cellular pathways at the same time, the researcher noted, it activates only one specific pain-relief pathway that avoids that euphoric high. Furthermore, the researchers say it can prevent the common side effects that often force patients to need stronger and more frequent doses of opioids, including constipation and tolerance. It also outperformed the nerve pain drug gabapentin, and didn't cause sedation or memory problems often reported with that drug. Gabapentin is the seventh most commonly prescribed medication nationally. The authors have compared SBI-810 to oliceridine, a newer type of opioid used in hospitals. However, they found that SBI-810 worked better in some situations. It also effectively relieved pain from surgical incisions, bone fractures, and nerve injuries better than some existing painkillers, reducing signs of discomfort on a mouse's face. They hope to do human trials soon and have locked in multiple patients. Although the drug is still in early development, the authors said it could be a safer option for treating both short-term and chronic pain for those recovering from surgery or living with diabetic nerve pain. More than a third of Americans are living with chronic pain. 'The receptor is expressed on sensory neurons and the brain and spinal cord,' Ji added. 'It's a promising target for treating acute and chronic pain.'
