Peripheral nerve injury can lead to anomalous sensations referred to as neuropathic pain. Nerve injury may result from a variety of insults ranging from frank injury to the nerve though sectioning or compression, to chemotherapeutics and autoimmune conditions. Symptoms often include continuous burning pain and abnormal sensory sensations such as allodynia (pain as a result of non-noxious stimuli) and hyperalgesia (an increased response to a normally painful stimulus) Persistent pain after resolution of clinically appreciable signs of chemotherapy poses a therapeutic challenge and immunosuppressive therapies do not meet this medical need. Accordingly, novel treatment options that afford additional benefit in relief of pain are needed. In this proposal, the experienced medicinal chemistry capabilities of Epigen Biosciences Inc. will enable the discovery and development of novel small molecules with suitable drug like properties for pain. The chemistry development will be coupled with the in vitro capabilities of UC Davis Medical School to test the compounds. Lead compounds will be assessed in pain models at UCSD. The proposed project is designed to develop small molecule therapeutics for pain.
| Woller, Sarah A; Ravula, Satheesh B; Tucci, Fabio C et al. (2016) Systemic TAK-242 prevents intrathecal LPS evoked hyperalgesia in male, but not female mice and prevents delayed allodynia following intraplantar formalin in both male and female mice: The role of TLR4 in the evolution of a persistent pain state. Brain Behav Immun 56:271-80 |
