Protecting mitochondria with piracetam – a role in sepsis and neuropathy?

Some drugs used to treat cancer have the unpleasant side effect of severe nerve pain. There is some evidence that this pain might be caused by damage to a particular part of the cell, called mitochondria. This damage also occurs when patients have a severe infection (sepsis).  Piracetam is a drug which is widely used for other conditions and which may be able to protect mitochondria. We can test whether such drugs can protect mitochondria, using cell models in the laboratory. This project will use existing cell models to test piracetam to see if it can protect cells against mitochondrial damage and whether it has potential future use in patients with nerve pain or sepsis.