A team led by Neurobiology training faculty member Ru-Rong Ji has developed a new experimental drug called SBI-810 that could offer powerful pain relief without the addictive side effects of opioids. Unlike opioids that flood multiple cellular pathways indiscriminately, this drug targets a specific receptor on the nerves and spinal cord, activating only a particular pain-relief pathway and thus avoiding the euphoric high that leads to addiction. When tested in mice, it proved effective on its own, and when used in combination with opioids, made them more effective at lower doses.
Read Shantell Kirkendoll's full article in SoM News.
Read the full study published May 19 in Cell.