Navega Therapeutics is developing a different approach with DNA targeting to treat chronic pain and aid in the opioid epidemic via epigenetic regulation of key genes. Efforts to develop selective small molecule inhibitors targeting NaV1.7 have been hampered due to the high sequence identity between NaV subtypes. While many small-molecule drugs targeting NaV1.7 have been studied, none have reached the clinic. Antibodies have faced a challenge because there is a tradeoff between selectivity and potency due to the antibody binding to a specific (open or closed) conformation of the channel, and with antibody binding not always translating into channel inhibition. Navega Therapeutics' platform is highly specific and long lasting without a permanent modification of the genome.
"It is with excitement that we welcome Dr. Waxman to the Navega team. Dr. Waxman's research has been instrumental in identifying the contribution of ion channels to human pain, including its contribution to Inherited Erythromelalgia," said Dr. Ana Moreno, founder and CEO of Navega Therapeutics. "We look forward to working with Dr. Waxman as we accelerate our efforts into IND-enabling studies."
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