Investment to develop pain therapy

A pain drug development company spun out of The University of Queensland has received a $3.25 million investment commitment to develop its innovative pain therapy.

Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, an emerging biotechnology company specialising in the development of therapeutics for the treatment of neuropathic pain, has attracted investment from a syndicate including Symbiosis Group Limited, Melbourne-based GBS Venture Partners Limited and Uniseed.

Spinifex's core technology relates to the discovery (made by University of Queensland researchers led by Professor Maree Smith) of a novel pathway for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Professor Smith's group successfully validated this pathway using small molecules in well-defined animal models of neuropathic pain.