The following abridged news items can be found in their full length on BizNewOrleans.com.
LSU Health New Orleans Discovers Non-Opioid Help for Pain
On May 17, LSU Health New Orleans announced the discovery and clinical advancement of a new non-opioid therapeutic candidate for treatment of acute, chronic and neuropathic pain and migraine headaches.
Dr. Nicolas Bazan, Boyd professor and director of the LSU Health Neuroscience Center of Excellence, led the team that made the discovery. The new pain therapeutic does not have the organ toxicity or addiction potential of other currently-available pain therapeutics.
“Our research offers hope for millions suffering from pain while also providing a pathway to counteract addiction,” Bazan said in a press release. “This extensive study also validates the entrepreneurial and translational potential of the research conducted at the LSU Health Neuroscience Center of Excellence. By understanding and harnessing the brain’s own mechanisms, we are addressing the opioid crisis by developing safer, more effective pain management solutions for people worldwide.”
LSU Health New Orleans has exclusively licensed the patents defining the family of non-opioid pain therapeutics to South Rampart Pharma to advance this new, safer painkiller to the market. With support from institutional, federal, and venture funding, the lead compound (SRP-001) now has successfully demonstrated safety and efficacy in Phase 1 human clinical trials. Recently, the FDA granted Fast Track designation for SRP-001 for acute pain treatment, acknowledging its potential to address a critical unmet medical need and ensuring the drug will advance into more comprehensive clinical trials.
“The quest for innovative pain solutions is critical, driven by the extensive prevalence of pain conditions affecting up to 27% of adults worldwide, including over 51 million adults in the U.S.,” said Dr. Hernan Bazan, CEO and co-founder of South Rampart Pharma. “Existing treatments such as opioids, acetaminophen, and NSAIDs pose risks of addiction and toxicity with overuse, so we are eager to advance SRP-001 into Phase 2 randomized and controlled studies for acute and neuropathic pain in the second half of 2024.”
LSU Online & Continuing Education Celebrates 100 Years
Over the last century, LSU’s continuing education programs have had more than 2 million enrollments in a wide range of courses.
“As the pace of change accelerates, continuing education plays a crucial role in helping individuals stay competitive in the ever-evolving job market,” said LSU Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty. “LSU Online & Continuing Education has been instrumental in providing learners with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers while also improving lifestyle and personal wellbeing.”
In addition to popular professional development courses like Fundamentals of Supervision, which has been offered for 60 years, and an Online Distance Program that allows students — including those not enrolled at LSU — to earn college credits toward their degrees through virtual classes, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers a variety of classes and activities for adults 50 and older. Classes include yoga and aquatic exercise, as well as history and literature courses and field trips to cultural attractions designed to keep senior populations active and engaged. There are OLLI chapters in Baton Rouge, St. Francisville and Slidell, and offerings are specialized within each.
LSU Online & Continuing Education is also expanding its offerings into new and emerging fields. There are, for instance, five new certificate courses related to legal medical cannabis.
“We are staying relevant by providing training to industries that are both well established and emerging,” said Lisa Verma, senior director of professional development at LSU Online & Continuing Education.
