Researchers at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry have been awarded a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to study chronic pain treatment.
The five-year grant will support Nigel Bunnett, PhD, and Dr. Brian Schmidt, PhD, in their efforts to target endosomal receptors as a nonopioid pain treatment. The pair have collaborated since 2009 and have secured three other grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund their pain research.
Bunnett and Schmidt will use the funds to explore signaling mechanisms of a family of proteins that control disordered physiological processes, including pain signaling. The hope is to create the research foundation needed to develop new types of medications that target inflammatory, neuropathic, and cancer pain.
The grant is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative, which seeks to create alternative pain management solutions in the face of the opioid epidemic.
This grant is the first collaboration for Bunnett and Schmidt at NYU. Bunnett currently serves as the chair of molecular pathobiology at the NYU College of Dentistry and Schmidt directs the NYU Bluestone Center for Clinical Research.
