NYU Dentistry awarded NIH grant to investigate oral cancer pain treatment utilizing co-delivery of DNA and RNA

Clinician-scientists Seiichi Yamano and Brian Schmidt to further novel gene therapy strategy to treat oral cancer painNew York UniversityGrant AnnouncementNYU College of Dentistry clinician-scientists Seiichi Yamano and Brian Schmidt have set out to develop a new class of medicines using gene therapy to effectively and safely treat oral cancer pain. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded the researchers a five-year, $2.9 million grant (R01DE029694) to test whether nonviral co-delivery of DNA and RNA will safely alleviate oral cancer pain.Patients with oral cancer often suffer from severe pain. These patients may find it difficult to eat, drink, or even talk. The opioid medications used to treat oral cancer pain become less effective as patients develop drug tolerance, and cause numerous debilitating side effects.Gene therapy offers an alternative to opioids for the treatment of cancer pain by reversing cancer-induced epigenetic changes. This approach selectively disrupts pain signaling without the side effects of opioids." Complete elimination of cancer pain in a patient is exceptionally challenging because there are multiple and redundant pain-signaling mechanisms and pathways, " explained Schmidt, who is a professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU College of Dentistry as well as the director of NYU ' s Bluestone Center for Clinical Research and the NYU Oral C...
Source: Dental Technology Blog - Category: Dentistry Source Type: news