New Delhi, March 6th, 2025: Researchers led by Professor Nikita Gamper of the University of Leeds' School of Biomedical Sciences have found that the body can efficiently make its own specific "sleeping pills" that, like benzodiazepines, dull impulses from a specific nerve and regulate an individual's level of discomfort.

The results, complemented by earlier research by Professor Gamper and Professor Xiaona Du of Hebei Medical University in Shijiazhuang, China, may lead to a major advancement in pain management and a shift away from potent opioids like morphine or fentanyl. Scientists working on the study will look more closely at how this could benefit those who suffer from chronic pain with new research funding announced for the New Year.

According to Professor Gamper’s statement, "We know a lot about how people experience pain, but there isn't much we can do about it. Opioids continue to be the gold standard despite all of the incredible findings and textbooks that have been written. No significant improvement over opioids has been made. If you have pain, you will probably be prescribed either opioids, which are really effective but hazardous, or ibuprofen, which is fine for mild pain but completely useless for severe pain or neuropathic pain.”

A class of depressive medications known as benzodiazepines, or "benzos," are used as sleeping aids and to treat anxiety and seizures. At the University of Cincinnati, Professor Gamper and his colleagues Professor Du and Dr. Temugin Berta discovered that some cells that are connected to human nerves and reside in structures known as spinal ganglia can emit a peptide that functions similarly to benzos. These peptides do not, however, put the entire nervous system to sleep because the process is restricted to the peripheral nervous system; as a result, they do not pose the same concerns as dangerous and addictive opioids.

According to the research, nerves have the ability to "tune out" pain signals or limit how much pain the brain perceives a person to be feeling.

The results may provide patients attempting to manage chronic pain on a daily basis some optimism, according to Dr. Ganesan Baranidharan, a pain management consultant in Leeds. He stated: "One of the main issues facing the health service is chronic pain. Physiotherapy, injections, and surgeries are some of the ways that we try to help people in clinics manage their pain. Another method is "self-management," which involves learning to live with pain. But long-term use of opioids and nerve medications can have serious side effects, like memory loss and zombie-like feelings, and some patients will have chronic pain that requires medication. In order to treat chronic pain, we need other options, even though some individuals respond quite effectively to small doses of opioids. Our patients will benefit more from our continued research and development of suitable medications to cure certain ailments.”

Their findings have been published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Pain is a daily burden for up to one-third of the world's population, and even though it is the main cause of medical visits worldwide, it is still not adequately managed. Furthermore, Dr. Berta of Cincinnati, whose work is supported by the NIH HEAL effort, stated: "Millions of people experience chronic pain, and over half struggle to find appropriate relief." As pain researchers, we have the chance to identify novel processes that underlie the development of chronic pain and to disseminate discoveries that could advance therapeutic approaches.

Seeing a member of his close family experience neuropathic pain had a significant impact on Professor Gamper's decision to concentrate his research in this field. In the end, he continued, "the ability or at least the opportunity to relieve people from pain drives you, not curiosity. Pain is an interesting phenomenon to study."

While the scientists had never met before, they were familiar with each other's work and quickly discovered that they had been working on related tests that yielded identical results. Their work "embodies the collaborative spirit of academic research," according to Dr. Berta, and demonstrates how scientists may collaborate to make important strides in our understanding and treatment of pain. The Medical Research Council and the pharmaceutical sector have recently awarded £3.5 million to a Leeds research team headed by Professor Gamper to further investigate their findings. Beginning in January 2025 and lasting five years, a new study will examine novel methods of pain management and possible indicators of neuropathic pain in greater detail, taking into account the new information regarding spinal ganglia and the "benzo" peptide.

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