Development of a Dual Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 Blocking Peptide Aptamer for Sensory Neuron Analgesia

Project Description Narrative:

More than 25 million Americans suffer from daily chronic pain, a highly debilitating medical condition that is complex and difficult to manage. According to the CDC, the U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented surge in the frequency of opioid-induced deaths, with prescribed opioids accounting for approximately 15,000 deaths per year. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports that Wisconsin residents suffering from chronic pain are in a tough position, and more people die of opioid overdoses in Wisconsin each year than car crashes. This opioid crisis in the U.S. has spurred efforts to develop non-opioid drugs for chronic pain. Nonetheless, these efforts have mostly failed, and no equally effective alternative is currently available for effectively treating refractory chronic pain.

To address this unmet clinical need, this project team aims to develop a sensory neuron-selective gene therapy approach that is highly effective, safe, and flexible (applicable in many settings and against sensory neuronal pain sodium channels, NaVs), and has minimal side-effects and little to no abuse/addiction liability, is low-cost, and will have a positive impact on chronic pain therapy and health and/or health equity in Wisconsin in the long-term.