South Rampart Pharma Inc, a US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative non-opioid pain therapies, announced on Monday the publication of new research in the journal Neurobiology of Pain.

The paper -- titled 'A non-toxic analgesic elicits cell-specific genomic and epigenomic modulation by targeting the PAG brain region' -- describes distinctive epigenomic mechanisms within the central nervous system through which South Rampart Pharma's lead programme, SRP-001, alleviates pain without common toxicities associated with current analgesics.

SRP-001 modulates specific genomic and epigenomic pathways exclusively within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) region of the midbrain, a critical centre for pain modulation. It induces the formation of AM404, a potent analgesic metabolite that activates the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1), commonly known as the capsaicin receptor, specifically within the PAG.

The full paper is accessible online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452073X25000145?via%3Dihub.

This study complements recent external research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that demonstrated peripheral analgesic mechanisms of AM404 via direct inhibition of pain-specific sodium channels (NaV1.7 and NaV1.8). Together, these findings underscore SRP-001's therapeutic potential through distinct central and peripheral actions to provide a pain management alternative for a wide range of conditions.

SRP-001 previously received FDA Fast Track designation. Phase 2 clinical trials are planned to commence in the second half of 2025.