From a clinically relevant pain target to a possible analgesic treatment strategy

Developing new analgesic treatments has been an extraordinary challenge, and unfortunately most attempts in the last three decades have failed. This is particularly true for the treatment of neuropathic pain, a debilitating disease characterized by abnormal chronic pain sensations that can develop after an injury to the somatosensory system. As a result, the therapeutic strategies available for neuropathic pain have not changed in at least 30 years, and consist mainly of gabapentinoids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and morphine [1,2].