The opioid crisis has driven a need for more effective and human-relevant pain models to improve drug discovery and reduce reliance on animal studies, which often fail to translate to human clinical outcomes. This research aimed to develop a physiologically relevant in vitro system to study pain signaling.
Researchers created a 3D in vitro model mimicking the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) to dorsal horn synapse using human iPSC-derived sensory nerves. The model demonstrates electrical activity of nerve fibers and synapse formation, crucial for pain and opioid research.
The 3D model successfully showed electrically active nerve fibers and synaptic connections, replicating key pain signaling pathways. This development enhances the potential for improved preclinical drug testing.
This innovative 3D human-derived sensory nerve model offers a more predictive platform for opioid research and pain management drug discovery, reducing the need for costly and less effective animal studies.
