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A team of researchers from the University of Kyoto, Japan, developed a comparable painkiller to morphine, but without the serious side effects.
Morphine, often administered to cancer patients, can cause serious adverse effects, such as breathing problems and dependence.
According to the team, the new drug, called ADRIANAit is an innovative painkiller that acts for a totally different mechanism of the morphine and other existing synthetic opioids.
The medicine has potential to revolutionize pain control In the medical field, the investigators said.
The team also believes that the drug may contribute to resolve the so -called opioid epidemic, responsible for a high number of deaths, especially due to overdose of these medicines.
The results of the were presented in an article published in the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
When a person faces a life -threatening situation, the NOREPINEFRINE – An organic chemical segregated by the brain – suppress to missexplains the u.quyoto in.
For the study, researchers focused on understanding how the human organism regulates hypersecretion of noreprenaline. Using a new research technology, they got, for the first time in the world, develop a drug capable of blocking this function of control.
The investigation team was initially inspired by imitating substances Norepinephrine (or norepinephrine), released in life -threatening situations that activates receivers α2a-adrenergic To suppress pain but have a high risk of cardiovascular instability.
After observing Noradrenaline levels and α2b-adrenergic recetors, the team formulated the hypothesis that the selective block of the α2b-adrenergic recetors could increase norepinephrine levelsleading to the activation of the α2a-adrenergic recetors and resulting in pain relief without causing instability cardiovascular.
To identify selective inhibitors of the α2b-adrenergic receivers and measure the activity of each α2-adrenergic receiver subtype, the researchers resorted to an innovative technology known as TGFα shedding assay And they performed a screening of compounds, which led to the discovery of the first selective antagonist of α2b-adrenergic receivers of the world.
Following the success of the administration of the compound in rats and the conduct of non -clinical studies to evaluate their safety, clinical trials were conducted by doctors at the University of Kyoto hospital. Both phase I test, with healthy volunteers, such as phase II test, with patients with postoperative pain after lung cancer surgery, revealed very promising results.
In a clinical trial held at the University of Kyoto Hospital, between January 2023 and December 2024, the team confirmed the effectiveness of the new medicine In patients, including 20 who had undergone lung surgery due to cancer.
“We hope that the new medicine can help the cancer patients, which before had no alternative but to resort to opioidsliving without pain and without fear of dependence or serious side effects, ”he says Masatoshi Hagiwararesearcher at U.Qioto and main author of the study.
In 2026, the team plans a clinical trial in the United States, involving 400 postoperative patients with the aim of putting Adriana in practical use in 2028.
