New pain drugs that target a special site on delta opioid receptors
Targeting the allosteric sodium site with novel probes for delta opioid receptor
Researchers are developing delta-opioid-based pain medicines designed to relieve pain while lowering the risk of addiction and dangerous breathing problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11326283 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As a patient with pain, I would hear that researchers are designing new "bitopic" drugs that bind both the usual opioid site and a special sodium site on the delta opioid receptor to change how the receptor signals. They will make these compounds in the lab and test them in cells and animal pain models to check for pain relief and side effects like seizures or respiratory depression. Scientists will map how the drugs affect receptor activity to guide safer drug design. If the best compounds look promising in preclinical work, they could be advanced toward early human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Eventually, ideal candidates would be adults with moderate to severe pain who need opioid-level relief but want options with lower addiction and respiratory-risk profiles.
Not a fit: People needing immediate, approved treatments now or whose pain does not respond to opioid-type mechanisms are unlikely to benefit from this preclinical work in the short term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to pain medicines that provide strong relief with less risk of addiction and life-threatening breathing problems.
How similar studies have performed: Prior delta-opioid drugs showed pain relief in animals but were limited by seizure risk, and targeting the sodium site with bitopic ligands is a newer preclinical approach with promising signals but little clinical data so far.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Majumdar, Susruta — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Majumdar, Susruta
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.