A Medical Device Daily

Researchers from the University of Michigan Department of Neurology (Ann Arbor, Michigan) have received a $1.8 million dollar grant to develop a novel therapy for neuropathic pain, a difficult to treat condition in which patients experience pain because of damage to nerve without obvious tissue injury.

In previously published studies, these investigators have found that gene transfer to sensory nerves using a modified herpes simplex virus-based vector effectively reduced pain-related behaviors in rodents with nerve damage caused by trauma or diabetes. A gene transfer vector is an agent used to carry genes into cells.

The newly awarded grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs will allow the investigators to produce and certify a human grade vector that will then be tested in patients with pain from nerve damage resulting from diabetes.

Construction of the vector will be carried out under contract by Diamyd (Pittsburgh). Diamyd is funding the phase 1 trial of the preproenkephalin vector, and has licensed the patents to the vector technology.

The researchers believe that the use of HSV vectors holds promise not only for the treatment of pain but also ultimately for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy itself.