Mu Opioid Receptor Polymorphisms and Variability in Opioid Actions

癌症患者疼痛的治疗并不理想，海洛因成瘾的替代疗法也不理想。连接这两种治疗方法的是一组被称为阿片类药物的药物——用于止痛的吗啡和美沙酮用于治疗依赖。人们在这两种药物治疗这些疾病的剂量上存在很大差异，造成如此巨大差异的原因尚不清楚。该应用程序旨在探索阿片类药物在解释为什么人们对这些药物的反应不同的目标部位的遗传变异的作用。对人体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，结果可能意味着疼痛患者和寻求海洛因成瘾治疗的人可以更好地选择剂量和药物。

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.