Novel analgesic approaches: harnessing functional interactions between sodium channels and opioids

慢性疼痛是一种使人虚弱的疾病，影响着五分之一澳大利亚人的生活，并具有重大的社会经济影响。目前可用的止痛药通常不起作用，或者有无法忍受的副作用。我们发现，阿片类药物和我们发现的一种新的毒液衍生化合物联合治疗可以有效缓解疼痛。该项目的目的是了解这种协同效应背后的机制，以开发新的疼痛治疗方法。

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects the life of one five Australians and has significant socioeconomic impact. Currently available pain killers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects. We have discovered that combination treatment with opioids and a novel venom-derived compound discovered by us provides effective pain relief. The aim of this project is to understand the mechanisms underlying this synergistic effect to develop new treatment approaches for pain.