Developing the world’s first pain medication as powerful as opioids but without the risk of addiction
Pain relief should never come at the cost of addiction
Despite decades of research, opioids remain the only effective option for moderate to severe acute pain, leaving patients and their clinicians trapped between uncontrolled pain and the unacceptable risk of addiction.
>31–58%
of patients have moderate-to-severe pain after surgery1
75%
fill a post-operative opioid prescription, and 25% become long-term users2,3
>100,000
annual deaths in the U.S. alone4
Billions
of dollars in healthcare costs5
- 1. Park et al. Pain, 2023.
- 2. Ladha et al. JAMA Network Open, 2019.
- 3. Stark et al. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, 2017.
- 4. Spencer et al. National Center for Health Statistics, 2022.
- 5. Florence et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2017.
Our Approach
Our technology is the product of more than six years of research across Stanford, Mass General Brigham, and Harvard, refined through multiple Stanford translational and accelerator programs. It has been tested across multiple stages, from preclinical models to real-world patient data, and is now advancing into clinical trials.
Human neural signals
Brain recordings show our product eliminated opioid-induced neural signals in real time.
Real-world clinical evidence
Real-world surgical records show our product delivers clear clinical benefits to patients.
Preclinical models
Mouse models show our product eliminates opioid-induced reward behaviors.
Clinical trials
Prospective clinical trials are designed to show our product delivers opioid-level pain relief without the risk of addiction.
Selected by Stanford’s leading translational and founder programs
Vetted by leaders in medicine, biotechnology, patent licensing, commercial pharma and biotech, and venture capital.
Recent updates
- Recognition
Blue River Bio selected as a finalist for Start-Up Stadium at BIO 2026
Blue River Bio was one of roughly 40 early-stage companies chosen to pitch to investors and judges at the BIO International Convention in San Diego.
Read more - Program
HIT Fund renews its support for Blue River Bio
The High Impact Technology Fund renewed its support for Blue River Bio's program in June 2026, awarding funding to advance the work it has backed since the company's earliest days.
Read more - Award
First place at the Stanford GSB Healthcare Innovation Summit pitch competition
Blue River Bio won the pitch competition at Stanford's premier healthcare and life sciences event, earning nearly twice the votes of any other team.
Read more
Want to learn more?
Reach out and we will update you on our progress.