Mu Opioid Receptor Polymorphisms and Variability in Opioid Actions

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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.