“A major drawback of existing pain medications is their lack of specificity for pain pathways,” commented Dr. Ford, who will serve as chief scientific officer of Afferent. “Afferent is poised to lead the way with an entirely novel, targeted mechanism for treating chronic pain.

Research shows that P2X3-containing receptors are highly specific to nerve fibers that transmit the sensations of pain and discomfort in response to inflammation or injury, particularly in chronic conditions. P2X3 antagonism represents a breakthrough and potentially transformative approach to treating chronic pain associated with conditions such as osteoarthritis, back pain, visceral pain and neuropathy.

Our preclinical and clinical data on this program suggest a very compelling first-in-class, orally delivered product, and we look forward to initiating clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of the lead product candidate, AF-219, in several indications early in 2010.”

De P2X3 receptor is recent meer op de voorgrond gekomen en de relatie met chronische pijn is in dierproeven duidelijk.^{[1] [2]} Het is te hopen dat deze nieuwe inzichten leiden tot een effectief middel tegen neuropathische pijn.

December 2009: prof.dr. Jan M. Keppel Hesselink 

Referenties