Spider venom key to pain relief without side-effects
Molecules in tarantula venom could be used as an alternative to opioid pain killers for people seeking chronic pain relief.
Molecules in tarantula venom could be used as an alternative to opioid pain killers for people seeking chronic pain relief.
Biochemistry
Apr 14, 2020
0
6380
Strong painkillers are very important in the management of patients with cancer and heart attack or requiring surgery. They extert their effect by binding to so-called opioid receptors in the body.
Biochemistry
Mar 25, 2020
0
11
The U.S. opioid epidemic is being driven by an unprecedented surge in deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opiates. Fentanyl's powerful effects are long-lasting, and even tiny amounts of the drug can lead to an overdose. ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 31, 2019
1
238
Opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl are a mainstay of modern pain medicine. But they also cause constipation, are highly addictive, and can lead to fatal respiratory failure if taken at too high a dose. Scientists have ...
Biochemistry
Jun 22, 2018
0
74
What if scientists could develop an opioid-based painkiller that is not addictive and has limited side effects?
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 5, 2018
49
4312
Drug discovery may bring to mind images of white lab coats and pipettes, but when Henry Lin, PhD, recently set out to find a better opioid with fewer side effects, his first step was to fire up the computers.
Biochemistry
Apr 6, 2017
0
9
Powerful opiate drugs are a mainstay in modern medicine, alleviating pain in both acute and chronic forms. These charms however, bear a curse. Users quickly develop tolerance to their effects, requiring ever-increasing doses ...
Biochemistry
Mar 2, 2015
0
612
Using a newly developed X-ray source, scientists have revealed how a new type of pain-relievers works - bonding to the same neuroreceptors that morphine does, but without the accompanying physical dependence.
Biochemistry
Feb 18, 2015
1
39
Researchers have long sought alternatives to morphine – a powerful and widely used painkiller – that curb its side effects, including dependency, nausea and dizziness. Now, an experiment at the Department of Energy's ...
Biotechnology
Feb 18, 2015
0
50
(Phys.org) —Almost every biological process involves sensing the presence of a certain chemical. Finely tuned over millions of years of evolution, the body's different receptors are shaped to accept certain target chemicals. ...
Bio & Medicine
May 6, 2014
0
0