Bay Area Twins Needed for Pain Sensitivity Study
Menlo Park, Calif. —February 10 , 2009—SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research and development institute, is seeking healthy fraternal and identical twin pairs to participate in a National Institutes of Health-sponsored study that will help scientists develop more targeted and effective pain relief medications. Volunteer twins will participate in one day of tests at Stanford University School of Medicine. The three-year Stanford and SRI study will examine reactions to alfentanil, a prescription pain medication often used during and after surgery.
Twins and other multiples are in a unique position to offer insight into whether certain conditions are environmental or genetic. The results of the study will help determine the role genetics should play in pain therapy and guide future studies that examine differences between individuals.
Currently, reactions to pain medication vary greatly among people, from level of relief achieved to side effects. Much about addiction and other complex conditions is still a mystery to scientists. By studying how the environment interacts with genes that lead to diseases such as addiction, researchers hope to understand how to maximize pain relief while minimizing the addiction potential.
Twins who volunteer for the study will have their pain sensitivity to mild heat and ice cold temperature measured before and during an infusion of pain medication. Researchers will also compare individual reactions and variations in levels of sedation, mental acuity, and nausea between identical and fraternal twins. Results will provide an explanation about which responses are inherited.
Volunteers can join the SRI International Northern California Twin Registry, a valuable science resource that reflects the diverse population of the region. The registry was established in 1995 by SRI’s Center for Health Sciences, and currently has more than 2,300 adult twin registrants. Registry members have participated in studies focusing on the pharmacokinetics of nicotine, metabolism of commonly used medications, genetic susceptibility to cancer-causing chemicals, and sleep patterns in young twins.
To volunteer or for more information, call 1-800-SRI-TWIN (1-800-774-8946) or visit http://www.sri.com/twin
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About SRI's Center for Health Sciences
Serving government and commercial clients in the health arena, SRI's Center for Health Sciences uses a multidisciplinary research approach to address complex challenges that arise at the interface of the basic sciences, clinical medicine, health care economics, and the regulatory and legal environments.
About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International is one of the world's leading independent research and technology development organizations. SRI, which was founded by Stanford University as Stanford Research Institute in 1946 and became independent in 1970, has been meeting the strategic needs of clients and partners for more than 60 years. Perhaps best known for its invention of the computer mouse and interactive computing, SRI has also been responsible for major advances in networking and communications, robotics, drug discovery and development, advanced materials, atmospheric research, education research, economic development, national security, and more. The nonprofit institute performs sponsored research and development for government agencies, businesses, and foundations. SRI also licenses its technologies, forms strategic alliances, and creates spin-off companies. In 2008, SRI’s consolidated revenues, including its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation, were approximately $490 million.
About Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions — Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.
