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IMAGE: This illustration shows the atomic level resolution of the tetracycline antibiotic bound to the EphB1 receptor. view more
Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS - Feb. 22, 2021 - Three decades-old antibiotics administered together can block a type of pain triggered by nerve damage in an animal model, UT Southwestern researchers report. The finding, published online today in
PNAS, could offer an alternative to opioid-based painkillers, addictive prescription medications that are responsible for an epidemic of abuse in the U.S.
Over 100 million Americans are affected by chronic pain, and a quarter of these experience pain on a daily basis, a burden that costs an estimated $600 billion in lost wages and medical expenses each year. For many of these patients - those with cancer, diabetes, or trauma, for example - their pain is neuropathic, meaning it s caused by damage to pain-sensing nerves.