Pain diseases impact more than a billion people around the world.
This includes millions of people experiencing pain after surgery or chronic pain.
And many of the current treatments for pain or either ineffective or come with a huge range of significant side effects.
Opioids are some of the most common painkillers, but have a high risk of addiction and overdose.
In 2022, nearly 81,000 Americans died from drug overdoses involving either prescription or illicit opioids, and the use of prescription opioids has also jumped significantly in Australia.
NSW-based Enhanced Analgesics is on a mission to transform how pain is treated around the globe.
Inspired by the use of mRNA and lipid nanoparticles in COVID-19 vaccinations, a team of researchers at the University of Sydney spent six years developing a new class of non-opioid pain therapeutics.
Through this team, the team developed EA1, a first-in-class mRNA-based therapy that delivers pain relief for more than 24 hours without any associated risks of other pain relief.
“What makes EA1 truly unique is its delivery method: we use lipid nanoparticles to encapsulate synthetic mRNA and administer it via nasal drops,” Enhanced Analgesics chief operating officer Dr Adam Cole said.
“This allows the therapeutic to bypass the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain directly, enabling the body to produce its own pain-relieving molecules.”
Enhanced Analgesics is a finalist in the InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence in the Health Tech category. The InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence winners and finalists will be celebrated at a black-tie gala dinner at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, November 27. You can book your tickets here.
The Health Tech Award honours companies that are tackling global health challenges through new platforms, medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics and biotech innovations.
Enhanced Analgesics has completed CSIRO’s ON Accelerate Program, which provides intensive commercialisation training, and has secured more than $7 million in competitive research funding.
The company is now on a mission to provide safe, effective and non-addictive alternatives to opioids.
“Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care, yet the available treatments are often ineffective, addictive or riddled with side effects,” Dr Cole said.
“Being nominated for the InnovationAus Awards is a powerful endorsement of our work and its potential to address a major unmet medical need. It is recognition of the years of hard work we’ve put into developing EA1.
“Pain is a global health crisis, and we’ve worked tirelessly to create a solution that is both effective and safe. This nomination brings national exposure to our efforts to help pain patients, and the more awareness we can bring to this important issue, the more likely we can make efficient progress and help reduce suffering.
“We’re honoured to be part of this platform and excited about what it means for EA1’s future.”
The 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence will be held on November 27 at the magnificent Sydney Town Hall. You can secure individual seats or book a table here. Purchase a table of 10 and have your logo displayed on screens across the venue and in the event programme as a ‘Table Sponsor’.
The InnovationAus 2025 Awards for Excellence are proudly supported by ACS, PEXA Group, the CSIRO ON Program, Griffith Hack, TechnologyOne, Q-CTRL, National AI Centre, University of New South Wales, KPMG, AgriFutures Australia, Investment NSW and IP Australia.
Protecting your great ideas with intellectual property (IP) rights can lead to lasting benefits for your growing business. IP refers to creations of the mind, such as a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work. Head to the IP Australia website to find out more about IP, and how it might help your business.
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.