Dr Cornelia de Moor and her team have a three-year grant of £260,000 from Arthritis Research UK to investigate cordycepin as a new type of drug that has potential to relieve the symptoms of osteoarthritis, a common joint condition that affects more than eight million people in the UK.
They will test the effectiveness of the compound, given as food pellets to rats and mice, to find out if cordycepin can prevent pain occurring after an injury to a joint, and also whether it relieves existing pain.
Dr de Moor said that although their research was in its early stages they were excited about cordycepin’s prospects as a completely new type of painkiller.
“When we first started investigating this compound it was frankly a bit of a long-shot and there was much scepticism from the scientific community,” she said. “But we were stunned by the response from the pilot study, which showed that it was as effective as conventional painkillers in rats.
"To the best of our knowledge, cordycepin has never been tested as a lead compound for osteoarthritis pain."
“This study is the first step in a potential drug development for a new class of drugs for osteoarthritis, although there are a number of hurdles we have to go through – necessarily so – before it gets nearer patients. To the best of our knowledge, cordycepin has never been tested as a lead compound for osteoarthritis pain.”
Dr de Moor said that provided the safety and effectiveness of the compound could be proven, clinical trials could begin within six to ten years.
This research has also featured on BBC local television.
Posted on Thursday 23rd April 2015