Research

Venetia Zachariou, PhD, Receives Distinguished Investigator Award to Study Novel Therapeutics Targets for Chronic Pain Conditions

Venetia Zachariou, PhD, Edward Avedisian Professor and chair of pharmacology, physiology & biophysics, has received a Distinguished Investigator award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). The one-year, $100,000 grant will fund her research “Targeting G Protein Pathways In The Periaqueductal Gray To Optimize The Actions Of Opioids.”

Morphine, oxycodone and other opioids possess strong analgesic properties; however their long-term use can result in the development of tolerance, dependence and transition to addiction. Identification of intracellular pathways and circuits that promote the analgesic efficacy of opioids without increasing the risk of addiction may provide opportunities for therapeutic avenues.

The award will support Zachariou’s research on understudied G protein signaling complexes that regulate transcriptional activity within brain regions involved in pain perception and analgesia. These signaling complexes also affect the activity of neuronal projections that mediate the rewarding effects of opioids. By targeting these multi-protein complexes, she aims to block the addiction-related effects of opioids while enhancing their analgesic properties.

“Opioid use disorders are rising in the general population, as well as among chronic pain patients. Research efforts are needed to decipher the intracellular pathways mediating the actions of opioids,” explains Zachariou.

Zachariou studies signal transduction and epigenetic mechanisms of neurological disorders and their treatment using genetic experimental models, genomic assays and brain biochemistry. Her projects have investigated transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms of chronic pain with emphasis on the identification and validation of novel treatments for the management of peripheral neuropathy and other chronic pain conditions. Her team has identified several intracellular pathways that control the perception and the maintenance of chronic pain states. They also have developed novel interventions in epigenetic pathways that allow transitioning to non-opioid analgesics while preventing the development of physical dependence.

Zachariou received her BSc in pharmacy from the University of Patras, Greece, and her PhD in pharmacology from the Medical College of Georgia, USA. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry at Yale University and a junior faculty position at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, she established her laboratory at the University of Crete School of Medicine. In 2012, she joined the departments of neuroscience and pharmacological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York as an associate professor and as full professor before coming to BU in 2023.

Zachariou is a member of the editorial boards of Biological Psychiatry, Science Signaling, Neurobiology of Pain, British Journal of Pharmacology and Molecular Pharmacology. She is a Fellow in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and Chair of the ASPET Neuropharmacology Division.

BBRF Distinguished Investigator Grants fund talented, established scientists with a record of outstanding research accomplishments. These research projects are intended to provide new approaches to understanding or treating severe mental illness. If successful, the grants could result in later funding from other sources. These grants are among the most competitive in mental health research and demonstrate the power of investigator-initiated research to bring out new and creative ideas.