Chronic pain is life-changing and considered one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite established theories about the molecular mechanisms behind it, scientists have been unable to identify the specific processes in the body responsible, until now.
Researchers funded by Wellcome have, for the first time, identified a new genetic link to pain, determined the structure of the molecular transporter that this gene encodes and linked its function to pain. Led by Oxford, in collaboration with the Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Target Discovery Institute and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC), the findings offer a promising, new, specific target to develop a drug for alleviating chronic pain.
Chronic pain underlines many long-term health conditions, making daily life difficult for millions of people around the world and exacerbating personal and economic burdens. Determining the root cause behind how pain signals are detected and regulated in the nervous system has long challenged scientists.
In many chronic pain conditions, nociceptors – nerve cells that detect tissue injury – become overactive and send too many pain signals to the brain, causing more distress than usual. The regulation of these signals is not fully understood, although some studies have linked these changes to polyamines – natural chemicals produced by the body to help cells carry out a variety of normal functions. For example, people with conditions such as arthritis often have a higher concentration of polyamines.
Over time, a higher concentration of polyamines is thought to contribute to over-sensitising nerve cells causing long-term damage and ultimately leading to chronic pain by sending more pain signals to the brain than usual. This means that even low-level stimuli might feel more painful than normal.
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences website.