# Novel injectable analgesic delivery system for musculoskeletal pain management

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2022 · $356,674

## Abstract

Project Summary
Acute flare-ups of musculoskeletal conditions (i.e., post-operative hyperalgesia, osteoarthritis, occipital neuralgia,
and lower back pain) present as increased intensity of pain. Currently, opioids are prescribed to treat these flare-
ups, making musculoskeletal pain one of the most frequent reasons for opioid prescriptions. Overdoses, abuses,
diversions, and deaths from prescription opioids have reached epidemic proportions in the United States with
associated healthcare costs of over $700 billion. Our long-term objective is to develop alternative, non-addictive
interventions to treat flare-ups of musculoskeletal conditions. Our proposed research aims to develop injectable
long-acting anesthetic formulations by combining local anesthetics with low doses of anti-inflammatory/analgesic
pain modulators and sustained delivery of these drugs using engineered carriers. Preliminary studies showed
the potential of synergistic drug combinations in conjunction with injectable hydrogel/lipid nanocapsule
nanocomposites in prolonging local analgesia. We propose to evaluate clinically used corticosteroids as well as
emerging analgesic pain modulators in conjunction with ropivacaine to identify the synergistic drug combinations.
A diffusion- and degradation-controlled release process will be investigated for the sustained delivery of the
analgesic pain modulators to prevent perineural inflammation and neurotoxicity. The in vivo assessment of the
efficacy and safety of the formulations will be performed by following the behavioral and electrophysiological
responses in rat models. An injectable long-acting formulation, which can be administered in an outpatient facility
and can sustain local hypoalgesic effects for 7-14 days, would significantly enhance the quality of life for those
suffering from flare-ups without the dire consequences of opioid therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440368
- **Project number:** 5R01AR075143-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Lakshmi S Nair
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $356,674
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440368

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440368, Novel injectable analgesic delivery system for musculoskeletal pain management (5R01AR075143-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440368. Licensed CC0.

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