{"id":22114,"date":"2022-11-03T20:58:15","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T21:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=22114"},"modified":"2022-11-03T22:44:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T22:44:53","slug":"uq-company-starts-revolution-in-chronic-pain-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2022\/11\/03\/uq-company-starts-revolution-in-chronic-pain-management\/","title":{"rendered":"UQ company starts revolution in chronic pain management"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Precision painkillers that are more accurate and less harmful to the liver are set to be developed by a University of Queensland spin-off company \u2013 potentially changing the lives of millions of people.<\/p>\n

Professor Trent Munro<\/a>, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology<\/a> (AIBN), is the scientific co-founder of Cassowary Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd which is creating a new range of hyper-targeted medications.<\/p>\n

Professor Munro said the drugs would help treat debilitating and chronic pain conditions associated with cancer, sciatica, post-herpetic neuralgia (a painful condition that can follow shingles), peripheral nerve injury and osteoarthritis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis type of targeted therapy reduces the potential side effects and safety issues associated with current pain treatments, and will also mean fewer doses are required,\u201d Professor Munro said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreating drugs with these attributes could change the lives of millions of people who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Professor Munro said up to 10 per cent of the adult population were affected by neuropathic pain, and current treatments often presented problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany existing treatments are ineffective in large numbers of patients, and carry significant risk of side-effects, including addiction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cassowary Pharma\u2019s drug candidate targets a molecule thought to be important in how the human body senses pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy building on the pioneering discoveries of Emeritus Professor Maree Smith<\/a>, and using the critical tools developed in the laboratory of UQ\u2019s Professor Greg Monteith<\/a>, we can create a drug that is very accurate, avoids the risk of liver toxicity, and lessens the overall medication load,\u201d Professor Munro said.<\/p>\n

After receiving funding from the Medical Research Future Fund\u2019s (MRFF) national $40 million CUREator Scheme, Cassowary Pharma will be recruiting candidates for clinical trials over the next 18 months as it ramps up efforts to hit the market.<\/p>\n

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Professor Munro said shaping Cassowary Pharma\u2019s goals was a collaborative effort, involving Dr Lucia Zacchi<\/a> of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience<\/a> and AIBN\u2019s Dr Martina Jones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was one of four UQ start-ups to receive funding earlier this year, which are each working to find new treatments for a diverse range of hard-to-treat conditions.<\/p>\n

UQ\u2019s commercialisation company UniQuest<\/a> CEO Dr Dean Moss congratulated Cassowary Pharma and said the funding recognised the leadership role that UQ plays in technology transfer and commercialisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am always excited to acknowledge how innovative research excellence from UQ\u2019s institutes, faculties and schools is translated into real-world impact,\u201d Dr Moss said.<\/p>\n

Interview with Professor Munro available via Dropbox<\/a><\/p>\n

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