SCREENING OF INVESTIGATIONAL AGENTS THROUGH THE NINDS PRECLINICAL SCREENING PLATFORM FOR PAIN (PSPP)

Psychogenics, Inc., Tarrytown NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an ambitious, high-priority effort across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to speed scientific solutions to stem the opioid public health crisis and better manage chronic pain conditions. NIMH plays a major role in the initiative by leading research examining how to treat people affected by both opioid use disorder and mental illnesses. Within the NIH HEAL Initiative®, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) created the Preclinical Screening Platform for Pain to (PSPP) identify and profile non-addictive therapeutics (small molecules, biologics, devices, or natural products) for acute and chronic pain. The PSPP is an efficient, rigorous, one-stop screening resource to accelerate discovery of effective, non-addictive pain therapies. The program offers testing, including an assessment of in vitro and pharmacokinetic profiles, side effect profiles, abuse liability, and efficacy in models relevant to human pain conditions.