Potential opioid painkiller replacement from fungus

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Source: Unsplash. Photographer: Bankim Desai

A mud sample taken 16 years ago by a boat ramp in Tasmania, is to thank for a new potential opioid replacement.

The sample contained marine fungus that yielded a new type of molecule that researchers from The University of Queensland and the University of Sydney have developed to provide similar levels of pain relief as opioids but with none of the side-effects.

This replacement drug has the potential to significantly reduce the risk of death by overdose from opioid medications, which is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States and an increasing issue in Australia.

 

 

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