Background

Kappa Opioid Receptor (KOR) is localized in the central and peripheral nervous system and its activation has been linked to antinociception, dysphoria and anxiety. As a result, KOR may be a potential target for drug discovery.

Technology Overview

The current invention has developed a novel class of compounds capable of antagonizing KOR. These novel compounds have superior biological potency and pharmacological activity relative to KOR antagonists that are currently on the market. This class of novel compounds was created through replacing specific substituents and introducing specific steric constraints on the ML140 compound. As a result of these chemical modifications, these novel compounds antagonize the KOR with significantly improved potency than currently available KOR antagonists. Because KOR activation has been