Summary of Scientists Take Another Step Forward:
In this work, scientists from the United States and China collaborated to use cryoEM technology to determine the structures of the entire family of opioid receptors when bound to their natural peptides. This structural framework should assist in the development of safer drugs for the relief of severe pain, without the side effects and risk of addiction and overdose associated with opioids. The research provides a detailed view of peptide-receptor interactions, which can be used to design drugs that are selective for opioid receptor subtypes and produce beneficial signaling outcomes.
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