Unco therapeutics awarded an STTR grant

Unco Therapeutics received an NIH STTR Phase I award for the project entitled "Development of Allosteric Uncoupler as Therapeutics for Chronic Pain." This is a collaboration between Unco Therapeutics and the Thomsen Laboratory at New York University. Chronic pain affects millions and is primarily treated with opioids, which are addictive and deadly, contributing to a major public health crisis. In various pain states, GPCRs on sensory neurons drive persistent pain signaling. Some of the most promising GPCR targets for pain, however, have proven difficult to modulate using conventional therapeutic modalities due to unique activation mechanisms that differ from those of typical GPCRs. This award will support the development of novel small molecule allosteric uncouplers specifically designed to disrupt these unique mechanisms. Early candidates show promise in preclinical models but require optimization to improve potency, selectivity, and safety. This project aims to optimize these small molecule scaffolds into patentable, drug-like compounds as effective and safe non-opioid analgesics.