health-and-science1 day ago
New Peptide and Antibody Approaches Target Sodium Channels to Silence Neuropathic Pain
Two new preclinical studies offer distinct strategies for treating neuropathic pain by targeting voltage-gated sodium channels. Mimetic Medicines reported that a short lipidated peptide reduces Nav1.8 channel density in mice, while researchers at the University of Toyama and Shionogi demonstrated that antibodies targeting Nav1.7 suppress abnormal pain signals in rats without impairing normal protective sensations. Both approaches aim to address the hyperexcitability of sensory neurons that characterizes chronic nerve pain, offering alternatives to current treatments like pregabalin.