METHODS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN ANC COMPOSITIONS THEREFOR

摘要

The invention discloses cathepsin S as a suitable target for the development of new therapeutics to treat or ameliorate chronic pain. The invention relates to methods to treat and/or ameliorate chronic pain and pharmaceutical compositions therefor comprising modulators with inhibitory effect on cathepsin S enzyme activity and/or cathepsin S gene expression. The invention also relates to a method to identify compounds with therapeutic usefulness to treat chronic pain, comprising identifying compounds that can inhibit cathepsin S activity and/or gene expression which can also reverse the pathological effects of chronic pain in vivo.