Univ. of Arizona researchers look to treat neuropathic pain caused by chemotherapy without using opioids.

A research team at the University of Arizona College of Medicine are developing potent and selective T-type calcium channel antagonists as potential novel pain medicines to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is detected in 64% of cancer patients during all phases of cancer, but no effective treatment exists, said Rajesh Khanna, professor of pharmacology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Khanna is the principal investigator on the study.

The research team’s goal is to provide pain relief to cancer patients, increase their compliance of chemotherapy and improve their well-being, he said.

Khanna also is scientific co-founder of Regulonix, LLC., a UA Health Sciences start-up company that received a $341,528 grant from NIH as part of the “Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative” (NIH HEAL Initiative), launched in 2018 to improve prevention and treatment strategies for opioid misuse and addiction and to enhance pain management.

Khanna said the study represents the first step in developing non-opioid pain treatments for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Jun Wang, assistant professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology in the UA College of Pharmacy and a member of the UA BIO5 Institute, is a key collaborator on this study and created the original compounds that led to development of the compound being tested, called “UAWJ111.”

Although initial results in rodent models have been promising, the research is in its very early stages, Khanna cautioned, adding the team also seeks to determine if the new compound has significant side effects and potential for abuse – and whether it also might be effective for other types of pain.

“It’s clear that a multi-pronged scientific approach is needed to reduce the risks of opioids, accelerate development of effective non-opioid therapies for pain and provide more flexible and effective options for treating addiction to opioids,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, who launched the initiative in early 2018. “This unprecedented investment in the NIH HEAL Initiative demonstrates the commitment to reversing this devastating crisis.”