BioCurate and QEDDI (Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative), a business unit of Uniquest, have announced a significant partnership aimed at developing an innovative treatment for neuropathic pain—a chronic condition affecting approximately 5% of the global population. This collaboration, supported by Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), seeks to provide a safe, effective alternative to opioid-based pain treatments.
Neuropathic pain poses a major challenge for patients and healthcare providers. While opioids are currently one of the most effective options for managing pain, they carry serious risks of addiction, tolerance, and side effects. As a result, there is a pressing need for non-addictive treatments that can alleviate pain without the downsides of opioids. BioCurate and QEDDI are addressing this need by working on a new class of inhibitors that target two ion channels involved in the generation of pain signals. These inhibitors aim to deliver maximum pain reduction with a high safety margin.
BioCurate’s Associate Director of Small Molecule Therapeutics, Dr. Belinda Huff, emphasised the importance of this collaboration, saying, “Collaboration with groups of QEDDI’s calibre is a strategic priority for BioCurate, ensuring that our projects can be developed towards the best possible outcomes, providing synergistic expertise and resources to increase our chances of success in translating biomedical discoveries into quality therapeutic candidates. We are excited about the prospect of developing an effective and safe treatment for neuropathic pain, alongside the QEDDI team.”
UniQuest CEO Dr. Dean Moss highlighted the shared goals between the two organisations, noting that this partnership aligns with their mutual commitment to advancing new therapeutic options for unmet medical needs. Combining BioCurate’s industry-focused preclinical expertise with QEDDI’s state-of-the-art drug discovery capabilities, this partnership has a strong foundation for translating promising research into patient-centred therapies.
Dr. Andrew Harvey, UniQuest’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, acknowledged the crucial role of TIA and NCRIS in enabling this collaboration, stating, “Working with BioCurate’s experienced team will extend what we are capable of doing nationally and leverage QEDDI’s world-class drug discovery and computational chemistry expertise. We are grateful for the enabling support of Therapeutic Innovation Australia.”
BioCurate CEO Dr. Kathy Nielsen expressed that pooling resources through early-stage partnerships like this one is essential for success, especially in areas of high unmet need. With TIA’s support, BioCurate and QEDDI are well-positioned to bring a much-needed non-opioid treatment option closer to reality for individuals suffering from chronic pain.
