Targeting specific sensory nerve cells to help with pain
Modulating single cell types in the sensory nervous system
['FUNDING_R01'] · UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · NIH-11126539
This project searches for natural chemicals that act on single types of sensory nerve cells to help people with chronic pain and other sensory problems.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11126539 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Scientists will study chemicals made by animals and their microbiomes and apply them to individual kinds of sensory nerve cells in the lab. They will watch which single cell types respond so they can map which compounds affect heat, cold, touch, itch, or pain-sensing neurons. Promising compounds that selectively silence pain-related cells could become drug leads for chronic pain caused by nerve damage. The work is done in lab models and cell-level experiments at the University of Utah rather than as a clinical trial.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with chronic neuropathic pain or persistent sensory disorders would be the most likely future candidates to benefit from therapies that emerge from this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose pain comes mainly from structural injuries, acute tissue damage, or non-neuronal causes may not benefit from neuron-targeting compounds developed here.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new pain treatments that target only the specific nerve cells causing pain, reducing side effects of broader pain medicines.
How similar studies have performed: Drugs derived from animal venoms have produced successful pain medicines before, but selectively targeting single sensory cell types is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES
- UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH — SALT LAKE CITY, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SCHMIDT, ERIC W — UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- Study coordinator: SCHMIDT, ERIC W
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.
Conditions: Animal Disease Models