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New pain treatment company targets cancer

20 July 2005

A company that has emanated from Monash research into the treatment of pain associated with cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases has been launched in Melbourne.

CNSBio, a collaboration of Monash Commercial and the life-science business development seed finance company Biocomm, will develop novel approaches to pain management in sufferers of cancer and diseases such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

It is producing treatments including a lead compound developed by Monash professor of anaesthesia Colin Goodchild. The compound is in initial phase II clinical trials at Southern Health Palliative Care for the treatment of pain in late-stage cancer patients.

Professor Goodchild is an international expert in the development of combination therapies for pain management and has a well-established record of commercialising his discoveries with international pharmaceutical companies.

He said that as a clinician, he was reminded daily of the increasing number of patients with persistent pain and the small number of available drug treatments, which were only partially effective at best.

"As a scientist, I am aware of the large number of drug targets now identified by basic research in pain medicine. CNSBio will undertake research to bring the advances in our scientific understanding of the pain process to make more effective treatments," Professor Goodchild said.

Leading scientist Dr Ian Cooke has been appointed chief executive of CNSBio, bringing to the company strong scientific expertise in central nervous system research and commercial experience of start-up companies.