PD-L1-Based Therapy for Non-Opioid Treatment of Chronic Pain

Unmet Need

Chronic pain, including inflammatory, neuropathic, and cancer-related pain, remains difficult to manage without opioids, which pose risks of addiction and adverse side effects. Existing non-opioid treatments often fail to provide sufficient relief or lack broad applicability across pain types. There is a need for a novel, non-addictive therapy that directly targets pain pathways at both peripheral and central levels.

Technology

Duke inventors have developed a method for treating pain by utilizing programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), a natural inhibitor of nociceptive neuron activity. This is intended to be a non-opioid therapeutic option for chronic pain relief, acting at both peripheral and central pain-processing sites. Specifically, PD-L1 activates the PD-1 receptor on sensory neurons, reducing their excitability and suppressing pain transmission. This has been demonstrated in preclinical studies using melanoma-bearing mouse models, where PD-L1 treatment resulted in reduced chronic and nerve injury-induced pain.

Other Applications

This technology could also be used to treat various forms of chronic pain beyond cancer pain, including neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, and post-surgical pain.

Advantages

• Non-opioid therapy targeting PD-1 receptors on sensory neurons
• Reduces both peripheral and central pain signaling
• Addresses multiple pain types, including inflammatory, neuropathic, and cancer-related pain
• Demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of chronic pain