Nav-i-gating antibodies for pain

Nav1.7 entered the limelight in the last decade as a pain target that could provide wide-ranging analgesia, but it has been difficult to target selectively over other voltage-gated sodium channels. Now, a team at the Duke University has found a unique epitope on Nav1.7 and used it to create a highly selective antibody that blocks the channel by locking it in a closed state.¹

In mice, the antibody reduced pain and inflammation and suppressed acute and chronic itch. The Duke researchers are in discussions with companies to create a humanized form of the antibody...