CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — A multi-year clinical trial beginning at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is tackling the opioid crisis head on.
The trial will test the effectiveness of a wearable device designed to treat chronic pain and assist in the opioid withdrawal process.
“Opioids are not only detrimental to individuals who are substance users, but they’re also detrimental to individuals who have and live with chronic pain daily and have no alternative option,” said Dr. Bashar Badran, neuroscientist and director of MUSC’s Neuro-X Lab.
According to MUSC, the device “stimulates nerves near the ear to change signals in the brain,” relieving chronic pain and opioid withdrawal without the use of drugs.
The trial is a collaborative effort between MUSC and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). It’s funded by an $8.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Badran said the trial will begin in February and last five years.
“To date, there really haven’t been any effective strategies that are non-pharmacological to manage chronic pain,” Badran said.
Badran explained people with chronic pain become dependent on medication to manage their symptoms, which creates a “vicious cycle.”
“Eventually, they want to discontinue the use of opioids, but as they stop using them, they experience psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms, that then make them continue to use opioids,” he said.
Badran and his team of researchers have been studying neurostimulation for a decade, he said.
“Here at MUSC, what people don’t know is that we have an internationally recognized brain imaging center, and we’re experts in brain stimulation.”
Once the trial comes to a close in 2027, if the science proves to be beneficial, the breakthrough technology can be provided to patients across the United States and the world, Badran said.
“My biggest hope is that we can do our part to reduce the severe detriments that are caused by the opioid epidemic across this nation,” Badran said.
Badran said he believes using energy to treat chronic pain instead of medication — like swapping antidepressants for treatments using magnetism or ultrasound, for example — is the way of the future.
“I do think that the future of mankind is what I call the bioelectronic man,” he said. “Eventually, I see this as individuals being able to have stimulation systems in their homes…to manage their chronic pain systems without taking any medication.”
According to data from South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), 1,400 deaths involving opioids occurred across the state in 2020. That number makes up over 80 percent of all drug overdose deaths for the year.
For more information about the opioid epidemic in South Carolina, click here.
To learn about opioid overdose prevention, click here.