Doctor Daniela Salvemini, and her team from Saint Louis University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a way to quell pain in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain. Testing on rodents has shown that the activation of the A3 Adenosine Receptor (A3AR) in the brain and spinal cord through a synthetic drug can successfully neutralize chronic nerve pain. This technique of pain relief seems to be a promising alternative to current methods, which cause severe side effects, addiction, or grow less effective with the patient’s build-up of analgesic tolerance. The synthetic drugs that manipulate the A3AR pathways for pain relief are already in advanced clinical trials as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents, showing auspicious results.

Copyright © The KAIST Herald Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution prohibited