James E Zadina, PhD, School of Medicine
Dr. Zadina’s research interests include the neurobiology of opioids and their role in alleviating pain and producing adverse effects, particularly opioid abuse. A current focus is on the development of novel, safer analgesics based on modifications (analogs) of naturally occurring opioids discovered in our laboratory (endomorphins). Our current generation of analogs has been shown in animal models to provide analgesia equal to or greater than morphine with substantial reduction or absence of several major side effects. Reduction of immunomodulatory effects appears to contribute to acceleration of recovery from chronic pain compared to morphine, which has been shown to delay recovery. Several studies have shown reduced or absent abuse liability relative to morphine and oxycodone, and the potential for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).
