Mu Opioid Receptor Polymorphisms and Variability in Opioid Actions

癌症患者的疼痛治疗不是最佳的，海洛因成瘾的替代疗法也不是最佳的。将这两种治疗方法联系起来的是一组被称为阿片类药物的药物--用于止痛的吗啡和用于依赖的美沙酮。人们在这两种药物治疗这些疾病的剂量上存在很大差异，这种巨大差异的原因尚不清楚。该申请旨在探索阿片类药物作用靶点的遗传变异在解释人们对这些药物的反应为何不同方面的作用。对人类和细胞制剂的研究将使人们能够研究基本机制，然后将其转化为实际的临床环境。如果成功，结果可能意味着更好的剂量和药物选择的人与疼痛和那些寻求治疗海洛因成瘾。

The treatment of pain in cancer patients is not optimal nor is the use of substitution therapy in heroin addiction. What links these two treatments is a group of drugs known as opioids- morphine for pain and methadone for dependence. People differ substantially in the dose of these two drugs to treat these conditions and the reasons for such large differences are not known. This application seeks to explore the role of genetic variations in the target site at which opioids act in explaining why people differ in their response to these medicines. Studies on humans and cell preparations will allow one to study the basic mechanisms and then translate this into the actual clinical setting. If successful, the results could mean better dose and medicine selection for people with pain and those seeking treatment for heroin addiction.