Creating novel Nav1.7 inhibiting antibodies for the treatment of chronic pain

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"One in three adults will experience chronic pain (persistent pain lasting more than three months). Effective treatment for often highly debilitating chronic pain is limited and problematic: the most commonly prescribed medications are opioids (e.g. codeine, fentanyl, morphine) which have serious side-effects**.**To address the lack of safe, non-addictive and effective pain-killers for chronic pain, IONTAS aims to develop an alternative, non-opioid medication. Pain signalling in the nervous system is driven and maintained by an ion channel called Nav1.7\. By selectively blocking the persistent, over-activation of Nav1.7 found in chronic pain we aim to alleviate this debilitating condition.The venom of a tarantula includes a small ""knotted"" protein that is known to block Nav1.7\. This tarantula-derived ""knottin"" protein is unsuitable as a therapeutic since it exhibits unwanted cross-reactivity in the body and is rapidly removed from the blood circulation. We have created a hybrid molecule (a ""KnotBody"") by fusing this tarantula knottin within the recognition surface of an antibody. This KnotBody is designed to address the problems of rapid removal from the blood and unwanted cross-reactivity. Through this funding, IONTAS will develop our existing prototype KnotBody molecules into a safer, effective and more specific drug candidate aimed at improving the quality of life of chronic pain patients whilst providing a solution to the growing, global opioid crisis."