NYU, UCLA get $2.4M grant to study cannabinoids for cancer pain

The New York University (NYU) Bluestone Center for Clinical Research and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the use of nonpsychotropic cannabinoids to suppress chronic cancer pain.

Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, of NYU, and Igor Spigelman, PhD, of UCLA, will focus their research on newly developed synthetic cannabinoids. These substances work to relieve the chronic inflammation and neuropathic pain symptoms of oral cancer without the "undesirable psychotropic side effects," according to the universities.

Chronic pain management represents a major challenge, both socioeconomically and clinically, because the side effects of existing treatments -- mostly prescription opioids -- greatly limit their effectiveness, especially over time, the researchers noted.

"We have developed a novel class of drugs, peripherally restricted cannabinoids, that are free of central nervous system side effects, for treating chronic pain," stated Spigelman stated in a press release.