Developing non-opioid, non-addictive pain medication

First-of-its-kind non-opioid analgesic that alleviates chronic pain without the side effects or drug dependency that plague current opioid users, could help solve opioid crisis

Each day in Canada, 21 people on average will die from opioid overdose, a growing problem that represents a serious health care challenge in this country. Yet, the drugs remain a popular choice for the nearly 30 per cent of Canadian adults living with chronic pain.

This reality has led a Calgary research team to develop revolutionary medication that could have a significant impact on millions of people who suffer from chronic pain.

Thanks to a groundbreaking partnership funded by Mitacs and the Government of Alberta between Calgary researcher Dr. Ketul Patel and a Calgary-based biopharmaceutical company whose work is aimed at developing pain therapies that do not have the drawback of opioids that has led to the opioid crisis — a first-of-its-kind alternative medication is in the works to treat neuropathic pain.

“It’s a huge issue. In North America, up to 30 per cent of people are suffering from chronic pain, and right now opioids are still the main treatment. If our drug comes onto the market, we believe this could be ground-breaking,” said Patel, a postdoctoral researcher working under the supervision of Professor Darren Derksen in the Faculty of Science at the University of Calgary.

This groundbreaking work has earned Patel the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation—Postdoctoral, awarded by Mitacs, a national innovation organization that fosters growth by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions and supported by the Government of Alberta. The award was presented at a ceremony at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 22, 2023.

Patel was recognized for making a major advancement in pain management by developing a new small molecule that targets a newly discovered pathway for pain relief. Highly addictive opioids such as Vicodin®, OxyContin® and Percocet® rely on opioid receptors (protein-coupled receptors) in the human body to inhibit pain, whereas Patel’s compound targets another receptor, T-Type calcium channels, providing a non-opioid dependent avenue for effectively mitigating pain without the detrimental side effects of opioids.

“We synthesized dozens of molecules before identifying our current lead molecule,” explained Patel, who has since designed, synthesized and characterized a lead compound group that is now being used to test new drug formulas in animal models with promising results. “This is truly transformative work. Our goal is to bring safer, more effective pain treatments to market,” he said.

“We believe this medication will lead to an effective therapy to help get us out of this increasingly challenging crisis of addiction and overdose,” said Patel, who credits Mitacs for helping to accelerate the team’s success. “The opportunity to collaborate with an industry partner from my academic lab is allowing us to bring our innovation closer to real-world application.”

Patel is working collaboratively with Zymedyne Therapeutics, which is focused on developing non-opioid treatments for chronic, neuropathic pain. Building on their successful collaboration, in addition to a full patent on the novel pain mechanism, the company has now filed two U.S. provisional patents on these newly developed drugs and is expecting to start clinical trials within the next few years.

The biggest benefit is that so far none of the common detrimental side effects shared by most opioids, including drug dependency and buildup of drug tolerance, are being observed. Once clinical trials are underway, Zymedyne will be looking to outsource manufacturing of the compound and partner with Big Pharma, to help get the drugs to market in order to provide a safe and effective alternative for chronic pain sufferers.

The Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation—Postdoctoral is presented to a Mitacs intern who has made a significant achievement in research and development innovation during their Mitacs-funded research. Mitacs programs are funded by the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments across the country.

Patel is one of nine Mitacs award winners nationally, chosen from thousands of researchers who take part in Mitacs programs each year. The remaining eight recipients were recognized for outstanding innovation, commercialization or exceptional leadership in other areas of research.

In congratulating the winners, Mitacs CEO John Hepburn reflected on Mitacs’ 25-year history of providing Canadian innovators with opportunities for experiential skills development through strategic partnerships between industry, government and academia. “Mitacs is honoured to play a pivotal role in empowering industry leaders across Canada to foster game-changing ideas, and we couldn’t be more pleased to celebrate their significant achievements with these awards,” Hepburn said.

For more information about the Mitacs awards and a full list of winners, visit www.mitacs.ca/newsroom .

About Mitacs

Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. It is funded by the Government of Canada, along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Yukon.