# An all-optical electrophysiology platform for the discovery of pain therapeutics

> **NIH NIH R44** · Q-STATE BIOSCIENCES, INC. · 2020 · $1,000,946

## Abstract

Project Summary
Chronic pain affects over 100 million adults in the United States and is challenging to treat.
Current treatments include opioids and non-steroidal inflammatory agents. However, efficacy of
these drugs in chronic treatment is restricted by dose limiting toxicities, and prolonged opioid
use can lead to dependency. Despite the clear, unmet medical need and significant research
activity, few drugs targeting pain based on novel, non-opioid mechanisms have appeared in the
past decade. Q-state has created a novel all-optical platform (Optopatch) using engineered
optogenetic proteins and custom microscopes to simultaneously stimulate and record electrical
activity from a variety of cell types with high sensitivity and temporal resolution. We focus our
efforts on a genetically validated pain target, SCN9A (Nav1.7), a voltage-gated sodium channel
that is required for pain signal transmission in sensory neurons. We will apply Optopatch
technology in two formats. 1) An HTS screen of the Q-State chemical library using a
heterologously expressed Nav1.7 channel assay that replicates physiological spiking activity.
Counterscreens against other Nav1.x channels will be performed in the same assay format to
determine compound selectivity. 2) Identified inhibitors will be evaluated in medium throughput
screens that measure excitability in rodent sensory and human iPS sensory neurons that have
been sensitized using inflammatory mediators. This integrated set of assays is designed to
identify Nav1.7 inhibitors acting by diverse working mechanisms and prioritize compounds for
further optimization using scalable in vitro models of sensory neuron function. This platform will
be employed as an efficient means to select compounds for optimization using medicinal
chemistry and pharmacokinetic, drug metabolism and in vivo efficacy data.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001039
- **Project number:** 5R44NS107041-03
- **Recipient organization:** Q-STATE BIOSCIENCES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Owen B. McManus
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,000,946
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2021-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001039

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001039, An all-optical electrophysiology platform for the discovery of pain therapeutics (5R44NS107041-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001039. Licensed CC0.

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