Laura Bohn and other scientists reported in Cell that SR-17018 could relieve pain in mice without causing respiratory depression.
In 2012, as the driver of deaths in the opioid crisis began moving from prescription pills to heroin, Laura Bohn was tasked with finding safer drugs to manage pain. Bohn, senior associate vice president of research at University of South Florida Health, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse for work reported in 2017.
The 2017 Cell paper described several compounds, including SR-17018. Bohn said her team filed a patent on the chemical.
The researchers went on to discover that mice using SR-17018 did not develop a high tolerance for it. In a further finding, mice already dependent on the powerful opioid morphine could consume SR-17018 to reset their tolerance without suffering from painful withdrawal symptoms.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The opioid crisis has been driven in large part by the respiratory depression that causes users to stop breathing and die. A compound that provides pain relief without this effect could fundamentally change pain management.
- SR-17018's ability to reset morphine tolerance without withdrawal symptoms offers a potential new pathway for treating existing opioid addiction, addressing both the overdose and dependence crises.
Background
The opioid crisis in the United States has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives over the past two decades. As prescription opioid regulations tightened, the driver of deaths moved from pills to heroin and later fentanyl. Researchers have long sought a non-addictive painkiller that does not suppress breathing.
What to Watch
- The next stage of research for SR-17018, including progression toward clinical trials in humans.
- How regulatory agencies such as the DEA and FDA handle the scheduling and approval pathway for a compound with such a unique mechanism of action.