Background:
In the field of biomedical sciences, the regulation of severe pain and spasticity frequently involves spinal mechanisms. Most therapeutic agents targeting these conditions act at the spinal level, with neuraxial delivery offering distinct advantages—such as achieving high local drug concentrations while minimizing systemic side effects.

Recent innovations in antisense technology and viral transfection platforms have opened new avenues for precise genetic interventions, addressing a wide range of conditions including pain, spasticity, neurodegenerative disorders, and neuraxial cancers.

Goal:
The development of continuous delivery systems—such as indwelling catheters—has significantly evolved, enabling therapies to target the pathology more directly and be classified as disease-modifying.

This Research Topic aims to explore the complex principles and challenges underpinning chronic neuraxial therapy. We welcome submissions of basic, clinical, and preclinical research, as well as reviews, focusing on the following key areas of interest:

1. Rationale and general use of intrathecal drug delivery
2. Insights into neuraxial anatomy relevant to neuraxial drug therapy
3. CSF Dynamics, intrathecal PK and delivery factors defining IT drug distribution
4. Spinal mechanisms of pain and spasticity and current drugs
5. Effects of catheter position on intrathecal engagement of local vs distributed targeting
6. Clinical applications and evidence for current intrathecal analgesic agents
7. Chronic pain patient selection, optimization and trialing
8. Intrathecal drug mixtures, in management of symptoms in cancer and non-cancer patients:
9. Neuraxial delivery for management of neuraxial malignancies, infections neurodegenerative pathologies
10. Neuraxial drug safety and pathology
11. Drug delivery devices and systems
12. Training protocols and platforms for teaching neuraxial techniques and technology

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

An Overview of the Use of Neuraxial Therapeutics