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A gene responsible for chronic pain has been identified, with scientists saying this could lead to drugs for treating long-lasting back pain. Writing in the journal Science, University of Cambridge researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves in mice. Deleting the gene stopped any chronic pain but did not affect acute pain. About one in seven people in the UK suffer from chronic pain, which can also include arthritis and headaches. The researchers say their findings open up the possibility that new drugs could be developed to block the protein produced by the HCN2 gene, which regulates chronic pain. The HCN2 gene, which is expressed in pain-sensitive nerve endings, has been known for several years, but its role in regulating pain was not understood.
For the study, the researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves. They then carried out studies using electrical stimuli on these nerves in cell cultures to determine how they were altered by the removal of HCN2. They then studied genetically modified mice in which the HCN2 gene had been deleted. By measuring the speed that the mice withdrew from different types of painful stimuli, the scientists were able to conclude that deleting the HCN2 gene abolished neuropathic pain. However, they found that deleting HCN2 did not affect normal acute pain - which occurs suddenly, for example when biting one's tongue.
'No respite'
Chronic pain comes in two main varieties. Inflammatory pain occurs when a persistent injury, such as a burn or arthritis, results in very sensitive nerve endings which increase the sensation of pain. Neuropathic pain occurs when nerves are damaged, causing ongoing pain. This type of chronic pain, which is often lifelong, is surprisingly common and is poorly treated by current drugs, the study says. It is often seen in patients with diabetes and shingles, and in the aftermath of cancer chemotherapy. It is also common in lower back pain and other chronic painful conditions.
Professor Peter McNaughton, lead author of the study and head of the department of pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, said there was now hope for these people. "Individuals suffering from neuropathic pain often have little or no respite because of the lack of effective medications. Our research lays the groundwork for the development of new drugs to treat chronic pain by blocking HCN2." He added: "Many genes play a critical role in pain sensation, but in most cases interfering with them simply abolishes all pain, or even all sensation. "What is exciting about the work on the HCN2 gene is that removing it - or blocking it pharmacologically - eliminates neuropathic pain without affecting normal acute pain. This finding could be very valuable clinically because normal pain sensation is essential for avoiding accidental damage."
Dr Brian Hammond, chairman of charity BackCare, said the findings of the study were good news. "Any effective treatment which relieves the suffering of chronic pain is to be welcomed. Treatment which helps reduce pain but still leaves the body's warning mechanisms intact is a major breakthrough." The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and the European Union.
BBC News - Gene find could lead to drug for chronic back pain
I really hope they have something here !!people that suffer from chronic pain can usually only get relief from dangerous narcotics ....Uncle Ferd always gets the backache whenever Granny tells him to take out the trash...
Gene find could lead to drug for chronic back pain
8 September 2011 - Lower back pain can be a chronic, lifelong condition for many people
A gene responsible for chronic pain has been identified, with scientists saying this could lead to drugs for treating long-lasting back pain. Writing in the journal Science, University of Cambridge researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves in mice. Deleting the gene stopped any chronic pain but did not affect acute pain. About one in seven people in the UK suffer from chronic pain, which can also include arthritis and headaches. The researchers say their findings open up the possibility that new drugs could be developed to block the protein produced by the HCN2 gene, which regulates chronic pain. The HCN2 gene, which is expressed in pain-sensitive nerve endings, has been known for several years, but its role in regulating pain was not understood.
For the study, the researchers removed the HCN2 gene from pain-sensitive nerves. They then carried out studies using electrical stimuli on these nerves in cell cultures to determine how they were altered by the removal of HCN2. They then studied genetically modified mice in which the HCN2 gene had been deleted. By measuring the speed that the mice withdrew from different types of painful stimuli, the scientists were able to conclude that deleting the HCN2 gene abolished neuropathic pain. However, they found that deleting HCN2 did not affect normal acute pain - which occurs suddenly, for example when biting one's tongue.
'No respite'
Chronic pain comes in two main varieties. Inflammatory pain occurs when a persistent injury, such as a burn or arthritis, results in very sensitive nerve endings which increase the sensation of pain. Neuropathic pain occurs when nerves are damaged, causing ongoing pain. This type of chronic pain, which is often lifelong, is surprisingly common and is poorly treated by current drugs, the study says. It is often seen in patients with diabetes and shingles, and in the aftermath of cancer chemotherapy. It is also common in lower back pain and other chronic painful conditions.
Professor Peter McNaughton, lead author of the study and head of the department of pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, said there was now hope for these people. "Individuals suffering from neuropathic pain often have little or no respite because of the lack of effective medications. Our research lays the groundwork for the development of new drugs to treat chronic pain by blocking HCN2." He added: "Many genes play a critical role in pain sensation, but in most cases interfering with them simply abolishes all pain, or even all sensation. "What is exciting about the work on the HCN2 gene is that removing it - or blocking it pharmacologically - eliminates neuropathic pain without affecting normal acute pain. This finding could be very valuable clinically because normal pain sensation is essential for avoiding accidental damage."
Dr Brian Hammond, chairman of charity BackCare, said the findings of the study were good news. "Any effective treatment which relieves the suffering of chronic pain is to be welcomed. Treatment which helps reduce pain but still leaves the body's warning mechanisms intact is a major breakthrough." The study was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), and the European Union.
BBC News - Gene find could lead to drug for chronic back pain
why?? maybe it will help!!Will be too late to help me.
I am sorry to hear that.....maybe one day they will be able to help you !! .........and NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP !!Naah I am already at max pain medication doseages.
Oxycotin a morphine pump, etc.
I am on pain control only at this point.
I am sorry to hear that.....maybe one day they will be able to help you !! .........and NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP !!Naah I am already at max pain medication doseages.
Oxycotin a morphine pump, etc.
I am on pain control only at this point.
Will be too late to help me.
Will be too late to help me.
have u tried a tens unit?
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
Scientists at the University of Warwick in England, led by chemist David Haddleton, developed the five-centimeter square bandage that contains a special polymer adhesive infused with the painkiller. "What we do is dissolve the active ibuprofen, for example, into the adhesive so we can have quite a high loading — so up to 30 percent of the adhesive will be the ibuprofen,” Haddleton said. “And then, when that's placed on the skin just like an [adhesive bandage], then the drug will actually diffuse across the skin into the body at the site of the pain, and then relieve the pain the same way as current gels and creams."
The ibuprofen patch could deliver uninterrupted pain relief for up to 24 hours. The patch is being manufactured by Medherant, a bioadhesive company affiliated with the University of Warwick, co-founded by Haddleton and Andrew Lee. "We've been in the lab about 12 months,” Lee said, “but in the 12 months, we've essentially assessed about 90 percent of the drugs that are currently available as either creams or patches. We've tested them in our polymers with very good results."
TEPI vs. other patches
Almost two dozen painkilling patches are now on the market, but Lee notes they provide soothing warmth to relieve discomfort, rather than delivering any active painkiller. Researchers have identified about 20 drugs that could be made into a TEPI patch, but Lee says there are thousands more compounds that could potentially be delivered through the technology. The clear skin patch containing ibuprofen — used to treat pulled muscles, arthritis and sports injuries — could hit the market in about three years.
Pain-relieving Skin Patch Does Away with Side Effects
As VOA reported Wednesday, an estimated 30,000 people in the United States will die this year as a direct result of opiate abuse. The United States consumes 80 percent of the world's prescription opiates, and an estimated 100 million Americans live with pain. The U.S. Congress, in a rare show of bipartisan support, is considering all kinds of initiatives to fight the epidemic and restrict the free flow of painkillers. Meanwhile, some scientists are focusing on why our natural response to pain can persist long after an injury is fully healed.
Your nerves remember
We've all had our share of scrapes, cuts, bruises, sprained ankles and broken bones. They hurt, then they heal. The pain comes, and then it goes. Except sometimes it doesn't. Researchers from King's College London set out to answer a simple question: why does pain sometimes persist even after an injury is fully healed? "We are ultimately trying to reveal why pain can turn into a chronic condition," said Dr. Franziska Denk, an author of the study. "We already knew that chronic pain patients have nerves that are more active."
OxyContin, an opioid drug. Americans, even though comprising only five percent of the world's population, consume eighty percent of the its supply of pain medication
In those cases, the nervous system remains highly sensitive in an area of injury, causing pain that doesn't go away for weeks, months, even years. So the scientists focused on some particular immune cells in mice that previous research has shown play a role in persistent pain. What they found is that when SOME nerves are damaged something called their epigenetics change, and it stays changed. Think of the epigenetics as the nerves' "memory." In the same way a particularly bad memory can cause emotional pain long after a breakup or the loss of a loved one, epigenetics seem to keep the nerves active long after an injury has passed.
Therapy for your nerves
What the researchers don't know is why some nerves don't remember pain, and why others just can't forget. After all, nerve cells are replaced just like skin cells and blood cells. "Cells have housekeeping systems" Denk said, "... the majority of their content are replaced and renewed every few weeks and months. So why do crucial proteins keep being replaced by malfunctioning versions of themselves?" Understanding that, and finding a way to coax the nerve cells into letting go of their bad memories, could open the door to solving the problem of chronic pain, and the wave of damage, death and addiction that is its hallmark.
Nerve 'Memories' Hold Clues to Treating Chronic Pain
The legislation takes steps to set up federal grants and a task force designed to examine pain management methods and the prescribing of pain medication. The vote to pass the measures was an overwhelming 400 to 5. Public awareness of the crisis has been heightened in the past few weeks, after the sudden death of pop star Prince, who died April 21 at age 57 after reportedly seeking treatment for painkiller addiction.
That high-profile news event, combined with the fact that many members of Congress are seeking re-election in November, means the incentive to take legislative action was high. The Senate is considering similar legislation and, in a rare bipartisan effort, both Democrats and Republicans hope to unite their efforts and give the president one comprehensive bill to sign into law.
On Thursday, the White House released a statement calling on Congress to approve $1.1 billion in new funding for drug treatment listed in President Barack Obama's budget proposal for next year. Michael Botticelli, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said it is not enough to call attention to the public health crisis. He said "actual funding" is needed to prevent the misuse of opioids and increase access to treatment and recovery services.
Painkiller addiction is a uniquely American problem: While the United States represents only 5 percent of the global population, Americans consume 80 percent of the world's supply of pain medication. Opiate use in the United States has quadrupled since 1999, helped along by low cost and ease of access to opiate painkillers and a common perception among doctors that the risk of addiction was low. The issue has received major attention only in the past decade, with policymakers and health care professionals struggling to care for the 4.5 million people in the U.S. who are estimated to be addicted to prescription opiates.
US House Passes Comprehensive Bill on Painkiller Addiction
