What's Your Problem? Inventing a Better Pain Pill
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Aug 21, 2025 
Dr. Stephen Waxman, a Yale professor specializing in neurology, neuroscience, and pharmacology, discusses the promising new pain medication, suzetrigine. He explains its innovative approach to targeting nerve cell ion channels without addiction risks. The conversation delves into the complexities of pain, the unique condition Man on Fire syndrome, and the rigorous journey of drug development. Waxman emphasizes the ongoing need for research in pain management to improve treatment outcomes and combat the opioid crisis.
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Pain Starts In The Nerves
- Pain originates in peripheral nerves and is then processed at multiple levels in the nervous system.
- Blocking pain at the peripheral nerve level could prevent brain-based addiction from opioids.
Mentorship Shaped A Research Path
- Stephen Waxman spent months with Patrick Wall early in his career and was inspired by pain research's solvable puzzles.
- That experience shifted him from big philosophical questions toward tractable lab problems.
Ion Channels Drive Nerve Impulses
- Ion channels control axonal firing: sodium channels act as molecular batteries and potassium channels as brakes.
- Understanding these channels is essential to explaining how neurons generate action potentials.