Enhanced Analgesics

The challenge

Finding safer, longer-lasting treatments for chronic pain

Chronic pain affects more than a billion people globally and is one of the leading causes of disability.

For many people, existing treatments only provide limited relief or cause significant side effects, particularly opioid-based medicines, which carry risks of dependence and other serious harms.

Professor Greg Neely, from the Faculty of Science at The University of Sydney, began investigating pain through research into the immune system and the body’s response to injury and disease.

“Pain is activated even before you have an injury,” says Neely. “If you touch a hot pan, you pull your hand away before you get the burn. I kind of see it as the fastest component of the immune system.”

Rather than focusing on symptoms alone, Neely’s team investigated the underlying biological mechanisms that drive pain and disease progression.

But the research had potential applications far beyond the laboratory. It could help address one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges; pain relief.

They had the fundamental science; the challenge was to translate that into a therapy that could ultimately reach patients.

Our response

Using research to change patient lives

Enhanced Analgesics is developing a non-opioid therapy designed to provide long-lasting pain relief through a simple non-invasive delivery method, mRNA therapy. Early preclinical research has shown promising results and attracted recognition through national innovation programs and industry awards.

However, the team needed more than strong science to bring the technology to patients.

The University of Sydney’s Commercialisation Office identified Enhanced Analgesics as venture-ready and the team joined CSIRO’s ON Accelerate program to learn how to translate its research into a company.

For Greg Neely, ON Accelerate transformed commercialisation from an unfamiliar concept into a structured, achievable process. “The most important thing was that the programs demystified the process,” says Neely.

“They gave us a framework for commercialisation, helping us identify the product, who would use it and who would pay for it. In the lab, you can assume some of that is intuitive, but it isn’t.”

“These programs gave us a system, a structure and a common language, and the coaches brought practical experience that helped us focus on the steps needed to move from discovery towards real-world impact.”

“That helped us adjust and position our asset more effectively, increasing the chance that we make it through the development process to have a real and positive impact on society.”

The results

From research team to health tech venture

ON Accelerate helped the Enhanced Analgesics team move from promising laboratory science to a venture focused on delivering patient outcomes. The program supported the team to:

• Define and position its lead asset for development.
• Engage patients, clinicians, investors, manufacturers and regulators.
• Build a clearer understanding of the steps required to bring a therapy to market.
• Communicate its science and investment case with greater clarity and confidence.

One of the most valuable outcomes for the team was learning how to engage and communicate their idea effectively to different stakeholder audiences beyond the science community.

“As a bunch of scientists, we had some really cool tech, but we didn’t really know how to communicate this or pitch it effectively,” says Neely

“Through repeated hands-on practice in messaging, we came away with a confident, clear message.”

So much so that the team won the 2025 InnovationAus Health Tech Award, secured funding through a national AEA grant and a seed venture fund, and Professor Neely received the AbVance Commercialisation Award at the NSW Drug Discovery Forum.

A platform for brain longevity

The commercialisation skills and experience developed through ON have also enabled the team to explore additional applications for its research.

Following ON Accelerate, the Professor Neely launched L3 Labs, a second venture developing new approaches to brain health and healthy ageing, through similar mRNA delivery systems. 

Together, Enhanced Analgesics and L3 Labs show how a single research platform can generate multiple pathways to patient benefit - from chronic pain to brain health and longevity.

“Strong science on its own isn’t enough,” says Neely. 

“As a researcher, I’m focused on generating data and designing experiments. As a founder, you have to think about manufacturing, regulatory requirements and how to produce something that is safe and scalable. It’s a different skill set. Some of it is less exciting than discovery science, but it’s absolutely critical if you want to get a therapy into the hands of patients.”

Enhanced Analgesics' journey demonstrates that breakthrough discoveries alone do not create real-world impact. 

By pairing world-class research with commercialisation expertise and a supportive innovation ecosystem, Enhanced Analgesics now has the confidence, capability and networks to turn their scientific discoveries in pain biology into new treatment options for chronic pain.