Discovery of the TRPV1 receptor, the target of Concentric Analgesics’ lead pain therapeutic, receives 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has gone to Professor David Julius of UCSF and Professor Ardem Patapoutian of Scripps Research “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.” Professor Julius’ work has focused on how our bodies sense heat, cold, and chemical irritants, leading to new insights about the fundamental nature of pain and new targets for pain therapy, including the TRPV1 (aka “capsaicin”) receptor. The role of TRPV1 in pain has led to multiple drug candidates discovered by Concentric Analgesics, including vocacapsaicin, which is in late-stage clinical trials for postsurgical pain.
Summary of work by Professor David Julius:
Professor Julius’ work focuses on how our bodies sense heat (TRPV1), cold (TRPM8), and chemical irritants. His lab developed the strategy of using capsaicin – a molecule popularly known for giving chili peppers their heat, but to researchers and clinicians is known to be a potent TRPV1 agonist – to track down the protein responsible for the sensation of burning pain. His use of capsaicin culminated in the identification and cloning of the specific protein responsible, named TRPV1, in 1997. Additionally, Julius’ lab utilized menthol and related compounds to identify TRPM8 (cold temperatures) and TRPA1 (noxious cold temperatures).
Impact of TRPV1 receptor discovery on pain management:
Exposing peripheral pain fibers that express TRPV1 to an agonist, such as capsaicin, results in a reversible defunctionalization of the nerve providing durable pain relief that persists long after capsaicin is cleared from the site.
“We congratulate Professor Julius and his team at UCSF on this award and their extraordinary contributions to science and medicine”, said John Donovan, MD, Chief Scientific Officer for Concentric Analgesics. “Our portfolio of TRPV1 agonist prodrugs, including vocacapsaicin, builds upon the fundamental discoveries of their work to harness the full potential of capsaicin. Concentric’s novel drug candidates target TRPV1 to treat pain without opioid side-effects, as summarized in the press announcement by UCSF and exactly as Dr Julius envisioned.”
For further information on the 2021 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine:
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/advanced-information/
For further information on the USCF press announcement:
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/10/421571/ucsf-celebrates-its-newest-nobel-laureate-david-julius