NEWS

Scholar Mark Zylka Tapped for Transformative Award from National Institute of Health

October 2009

Rita Allen Foundation (RAF) Scholar Mark J. Zylka, PhD has been granted a Transformative R01 (T-R01) program award from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to further his quest to bring more effective pain relief to millions.

Mark was named a RAF Scholar in 2007 and continues to blaze new trails in medical science. His mission is simple: Find a better way to relieve those suffering with chronic pain.

The statistics are staggering; more Americans suffer from chronic pain than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined. Unfortunately, existing painkillers are not entirely effective for all conditions and many come with unwanted side effects.

Mark knows the challenges he faces all too well. He must use his considerable skill and resources to zero in on new methods of providing lasting pain relief sans serious consequences for the patient. No easy task in biomedical research. But as a RAF Scholar, Mark has the talent and support he needs to take chances, to innovate, and produce the answers that lead to advancements in modern medicine.

His work is groundbreaking, which is why NIH selected him for T-R01. The program was specifically created under the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research to support exceptionally innovative, high risk, original and/or unconventional research projects that have the potential to create or overturn fundamental paradigms.

Mark’s efforts rely on harnessing ectonucleotidases that are found within nociceptive (pain-sensing) circuits in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord. Ectonucleotidases degrade pain-causing purine nucleotides into adenosine, a compound that has painkilling properties in rodents and humans. To fully harness ectonucleotidases for treatment, Mark is identifying those that metabolize nucleotides to adenosine in nociceptive circuits and then determining if these enzymes can be used alone or in combination to relieve acute and chronic symptoms. His goal is to develop new proteins and small molecules that target ectonucleotidases for the treatment of pain with fewer side effects.