Science at UM [S01-ep02]: From Opioids Without Side Effects to the Economic Experimentation Platform

[Podcast] - Published on October 21, 2021 in Science and Society

In this episode: opioid painkillers that may one day be free of addictive side effects, with Rémy Sounier fromthe Institute of Functional Genomics. In the second half of the program, Dimitri Dubois introduces us to LEEM, the experimental platform of the Montpellier Center for Environmental Economics.

Codeine, tramadol, buprenorphine,fentanyl, oxycodone…If you’ve come across these medications, it’s because you’ve also come face-to-face with pain! Today on A l’UM, science takes you into the very sensitive realm of opioid analgesics. Whether caused by a migraine, surgery, an injury, or an illness, enduring pain is not an option when a simple pill can sometimes be enough to make it disappear—at least for a few hours. So, relieving pain—yes, of course—but to what extent and how far should we go? This question lies at the heart of what some call “the opioid crisis”—or how to balance pain relief against side effects when those effects can sometimes be fatal. It is estimated that 70,000 deaths were caused by opioid painkillers in the United States in 2019.

Toward opioid pain relievers without side effects

A reality that may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to the work carried out by our guest and his team. Rémy Sounier is a researcher atthe Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF), and his discoveries are paving the way for a new generation of opioids that are non-addictive and free of serious side effects. These findings were published last September in the journal *Molecular Cell*.

Experimentation in Economics

In the second half of the program, we’ll take you to the Richter Campus, home to LEEM, the experimental platform of the Montpellier Center for Environmental Economics. Dimitri Dubois, the center’s director, gave us a tour during an experimental session in which we were able to participate.

At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!

Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview and reporting: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Director: Bruno Bertrand

Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9