Australia (Commonwealth Union) – Precision painkillers with greater precision and lower harm to the liver are to be produced by a University of Queensland (UQ) spin-off company, that could transform the lives of millions. Professor Trent Munro, from the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) and scientific co-founder of Cassowary Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, is producing a new range of hyper-targeted medications.
Professor Munro explained that the drugs would assist in remedying crippling and chronic pain conditions linked to cancer, sciatica, post-herpetic neuralgia peripheral nerve injury and osteoarthritis. He further stated that this type of targeted therapy lowers possible side effects and safety concerns linked with pain treatments presently used, with a possibility of reduced doses.
Improved technology has shifted focus in recent years towards precision treatments garnering more attention from researchers across the world. “This type of targeted therapy reduces the potential side effects and safety issues associated with current pain treatments, and will also mean fewer doses are required,” explained Professor Munro, adding that “Creating drugs with these attributes could change the lives of millions of people who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain.”
Professor Munro stated that 10% of the adult population has neuropathic pain, and presently uses treatments often posed problems. He further stated that current treatments are ineffective in many patients, and carry significant possibilities of side-effects, like addiction.
Cassowary Pharma’s drug candidate focusses on a molecule believed to be significant in the way the human body detects pain. Professor Munro indicated that making Cassowary Pharma’s goals was a joint effort, with Dr Lucia Zacchi of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience and Dr Martina Jones from AIBN.
This was 1 of 4 UQ start-ups to get funds earlier this year, where every one of them are working to discover new treatments for a variety of hard-to-treat conditions.
