Light-activated drugs for chronic pain

Amadeu Llebaria

Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain

It is estimated that around a third of the world’s population lives with chronic pain, a health issue for which there is no satisfactory solution. In Spain, three out of ten women and two out of ten men suffer from it, according to data from the Barometer of chronic pain in Spain.

The team leading this project has been working for more than twelve years in the field of photopharmacology, developing drugs that are activated by external light to achieve a much more localised and controlled effect. This is possible because the photopharmaceuticals only act when, how and where they are needed, reducing the side effects associated with current pain treatments, such as those based on opioids.

In previous work, the team developed a new photosensitive active compound and demonstrated its effectiveness in cell cultures and animal models. In the present project, new compounds will be developed to optimise certain properties as a necessary first step before human clinical trials can begin. The ultimate goal is to achieve proof of concept of non-opioid light-activated analgesics capable of acting very precisely in the targeted areas without affecting other tissues or organs. This would reduce side effects without generating dependency.

Non-opioid light-activated drugs for pain management without side effects

Stage 1