A Novel Approach to Treat Chronic Pain Using RTX
Project Leader: Louis Premkumar
Unit: School of Medicine, Springfield
Brief Description:
A novel method of treating inflammatory pain conditions using ultra-low concentrations of ultrapotent TRPV1 agonists that can induce selective nerve terminal depolarization block in the short term and leads to nerve terminal death in the long term by peripheral or intrathecal administration of resiniferatoxin, tinyatoxin, and related potent agonists and their analogs. This strategy allows the DRG neuronal cell body to remain intact and facilitates the regrowth of nerve terminals, thus avoiding permanent damage to TRPV1-containing neurons. The method is useful in treating chronic pain conditions, which include cancer pain, muscle pain, burn pain, visceral pain, pain of unknown origin, etc. Moreover, resiniferatoxin binds to TRPV1 at very low concentrations and affects only pain-carrying neurons; therefore it has a very favorable therapeutic index.
Patent Status:
Patent application pending.
Potential Commercial Uses:
Treatment of chronic pain conditions with long duration of action. The nerve terminals can be selectively targeted, especially the central terminals by intrathecal administration of RTX, which ablates the nerve terminals and reduces TRPV1-mediated nociceptive transmission. The major advantage is that the nerve terminals can regenerate, preventing permanent damage.
Contact:
Rob Patino, SIU School of Medicine Office of Technology Transfer, (217) 545-8167, fax: (217) 545-0786