Grant: Project Grant

Inflammation plays a key role in many painful conditions, including acute and chronic ones. Our research focuses on a new approach: instead of simply blocking pain, we aim to activate the body's natural pathways that actively resolve inflammation. We have developed synthetic versions of a naturally occurring molecule called Protectin DX (PDX), designed to work by turning on these healing pathways. In preclinical studies, these compounds have shown strong anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects without suppressing the immune system, making them promising candidates for safer, non-opioid pain treatments. This project will advance one of these synthetic PDX analogs we developed toward translation to human clinical testing. We will optimize its manufacturing process, evaluate its stability and formulation, study how it is distributed and cleared in the body, and assess its safety. We will also test its effectiveness in well-established animal models of diabetic neuropathy and compare its performance to currently used treatments. By generating data supportive of regulatory submission, this work aims to bring a first-in-class, non-opioid therapy closer to patients suffering from acute and chronic neuropathic pain and other inflammation-driven conditions.