Human trials for pain relief drugs from sea
[ UniNews Vol. 14, No. 11
27 June - 11 July 2005 ]
A cone snail toxin with great potential for easing pain, discovered by University of Melbourne scientists, could provide an improved treatment for neuropathic pain associated with diabetes.
The scientists first discovered the toxin, called ACV1, in 2003 while studying the toxins produced in the venom of Conus victoriae, a marine cone snail found in tropical waters off the coast of Australia.
Clinical trials of ACV1 in humans are now underway following successful results in preclinical trials of the toxin by Melbourne based company Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited.
The clinical trials will first test the safety of the toxin in normal males, and later its effectiveness in treating the neuropathic pain associated with diabetes.
Isolating and characterising ACV1 was a collaborative achievement beginning with discovery of the genes by Biochemistry and Molecular Biology scientist Associate Professor Ken Gayler and research students Mr David Sandall and Mr David Keays. Associate Professor Bruce Livett (now Bio21 Institute-based) and Dr John Down (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) contributed key pharmacological and chemical expertise, and Associate Professor Zeinab Khalil of the University’s National Ageing Research Institute and research student Ms Narmatha Satkunanathan provided physiological and pain assessment.
Associate Professor Livett (right, with cone snail shells) says the drug has potential for treating pain in a number of conditions such as multiple sclerosis, shingles and sciatica.
“ACV1 has been shown to be effective in treating pain in several experimental animal models of human pain syndromes, including post-surgical and neuropathic pain,” he says.
“In addition, it has the unique property that it appears to accelerate the rate of recovery from a nerve injury.”
He says the great potential of ACV1 is that eliminating neuropathic pain is where it works best.
Neuropathic pain is pain generated inside the body (arising in the nervous system) as opposed to pain which comes from outside, for example, from a burn.
Associate Professor Livett says neuropathic pain is the most difficult form to treat and typically responds poorly to conventional painkillers such as morphine or aspirin. Other treatments have also been found to be largely ineffective.
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