{"id":24038,"date":"2025-12-16T11:36:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/?p=24038"},"modified":"2025-12-16T11:36:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:36:17","slug":"a-new-dual-action-drug-for-the-treatment-of-acute-postoperative-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/news\/a-new-dual-action-drug-for-the-treatment-of-acute-postoperative-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"A new dual-action drug for the treatment of acute postoperative pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Barcelona<\/a> has received two grants from AGAUR: a Producte grant of \u20ac149,960 and an Innovadors grant of \u20ac84,000 to develop an innovative drug that acts on two therapeutic targets to treat acute pain. The project is led by Dr. Santiago V\u00e1zquez, Professor at the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Barcelona, and researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB). The project also involves researcher Alba L\u00f3pez-Ruiz, as an entrepreneurial scientist, and Dr. Mar\u00eda Carmen Ruiz-Cantero, both members of Professor V\u00e1zquez\u2019s research group, as well as Drs. Marc Su\u00f1\u00e9 and Khadija Rouaz from the Drug Development Service, and Professor Enrique J. Cobos from the University of Granada.<\/p>\n

More than half of patients experience moderate to severe pain after surgery despite analgesic treatment, even when opioids are used. Most current therapies addressing this problem focus on a single therapeutic target, which makes it difficult to tackle the multifactorial nature of pain. In contrast, the UB team\u2019s proposal is to develop a compound that acts on two targets: the sigma-1 receptor (S1R) and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), which are crucial in pain mechanisms. \u201cBy acting on multiple pathways, our approach offers a more comprehensive and safer solution compared to existing single-target treatments,\u201d highlights Dr. Santiago V\u00e1zquez.<\/p>\n

Fewer side effects<\/h3>\n

Preliminary studies in mouse models have demonstrated the analgesic efficacy of the new therapy, showing that this approach provides superior pain relief compared to traditional treatments. \u201cThe dual-action strategy shows that simultaneous modulation of both targets provides synergistic analgesic effects, outperforming therapies aimed at a single therapeutic target and offering new options for pain treatment,\u201d emphasizes the UB professor.<\/p>\n

This synergistic effect also allows for a reduction in the dose required to achieve effective pain control. Moreover, these studies have confirmed the absence of some of the typical side effects of opioids, such as addiction, constipation, or sedation, highlighting its potential for long-term use.<\/p>\n

A new generation of drugs<\/h3>\n

The goal of this phase of the project is to validate an improved new generation of this promising drug, which retains the positive properties of the first compounds developed while also featuring improved solubility.<\/p>\n

In this context, the Producte and Innovadors grants will enable progress in both scientific validation and preparation for the future commercialization of this new generation of dual-action analgesics. From a scientific perspective, studies will be conducted to confirm the drug\u2019s selectivity and behavior in the body, as well as safety and efficacy studies in animal models. In parallel, work will also be carried out on the valorization plan and on the steps required to promote the creation of a spin-off<\/em> company to bring this innovative therapy to market.<\/p>\n

Contribution to the United Nations SDGs<\/h3>\n

The project has a direct impact on several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). First, it contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by promoting the development of a safer, non-opioid analgesic treatment capable of improving the quality of life of millions of people and reducing dependence on addictive drugs. It also contributes to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the creation of a spin-off company and collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, generating employment and attracting investment in the biotechnology sector. Finally, it supports SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by integrating sustainability criteria into drug development and applying green chemistry protocols that reduce waste and optimize production processes.<\/p>\n

The projects, with file numbers 2025 PROD 00266 and 2025 INNOV 00049, fall respectively under the schemes \u201cProducte grants aimed at obtaining prototypes and at the valorization and transfer of research results generated by research teams in Catalonia\u201d and \u201cInnovadors grants for knowledge valorization and transfer projects developed by innovators during stays in entities of the research and innovation system of Catalonia\u201d within the Knowledge Industry call.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Barcelona has received two grants from AGAUR: a Producte grant of \u20ac149,960 and an Innovadors grant of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24039,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24038\/revisions\/24039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fbg.ub.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}