the distillery

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This week in techniques

Approach Summary Licensing status
Publication and contact 
information

Disease models

Rat model for 
identifying and 
characterizing pain 
therapeutics 

A rat model of inflammatory pain may be useful for identifying 
compounds that treat chronic peripheral pain without inducing long-
term tolerance. In addition, the model should reduce discrepancies 
between models of tolerance, which previously did not include 
inflammatory pain, and clinical studies of pain and tolerance. In rats 
with complete Freund’s adjuvant–induced hind-paw inflammation, 
endogenous opioids from inflamed tissue preserved µ-opioid receptor 
signaling in sensory neurons and consequently prevented peripheral 
opioid tolerance. Next steps include studying the mechanism of µ-
opioid receptor signaling in the rat model. 
No fewer than 11 companies market µ-opioid receptor agonists for 
multiple pain indications.

Rat model 
is patented; 
licensing status 
unknown

Zöllner, C. et al. J. Clin. Invest.; 
published online Feb. 1, 2008; 
doi:10.1172/JCI25911 
Contact: Christian Zöllner, Charité 
- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 
Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, 
Germany 
e-mail:  
christian.zoellner@charite.de

http://www.scibx.com
mailto:christian.zoellner@charite.de

	Rat model for identifying and characterizing pain therapeutics
	Summary
	Licensing status
	References