The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
New treatment may relieve chronic pain, as reported in the 19 November issue of Science

Washington, DC - In a study that could lead to new treatments for chronic pain, scientists have relieved pain in rats by dispatching molecular "smart bombs" to selectively destroy certain nerve cells in the spinal cord. Because this approach targets just those nerve cells, or neurons, that send pain messages to the brain, it shouldn't cause the side effects of drugs such as morphine or the complications of surgery. The study appears in the 19 November issue of Science.

Thus far, the scientists' method kills the pain-signaling neurons, so its uses may be limited to stopping the extreme pain of terminally ill patients. However, designing a less drastic variation that would temporarily silence the neurons should now be "a very do-able thing," according to Patrick Mantyh, of the University of Minnesota and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis, who led the research team.

The team of scientists also includes Michael L. Nichols, Brian J. Allen, Scott D. Rogers, Joseph R. Ghilardi, Prisca Honore, Nancy M. Luger, and Matthew P. Finke, from the University of Minnesota and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minneapolis; Jun Li and Donald A. Simone, from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis; and Douglas A. Lappi, from Advanced Targeting Systems, in San Diego.

Chronic pain is an extremely common affliction that occurs in a variety of forms, from the specific pain of a migraine headache to the mysterious all-over body pain of fibromyalgia. In all of its incarnations, chronic pain seems to be the result of faulty signaling by a small group of neurons in the spinal cord. These signals can either make patients hypersensitive to stimuli that are minimally painful (such as a pinprick), or they can cause patients to feel pain in response to stimuli that are not painful at all (a warm shower, for example).

The group of neurons responsible for these inappropriate responses transmit electrical signals to each other with the help of a c
'"/>

Contact: Heather Singmaster
hsingmas@aaas.org
202-326-6414
American Association for the Advancement of Science
18-Nov-1999


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Leader in cancer treatment and prevention research honored
2. International study findings link acne-like rash to effectiveness of new targeted cancer treatment
3. New study indicates arsenic could be suitable as first-line treatment in type of leukaemia
4. New treatment for fibromyalgia
5. The impact of genetic variations on the treatment of early rheumatoid arthritis
6. OneWorld Health compiles comprehensive state of infectious diarrhea treatments, potential solutions
7. Early clinical treatment can halt progression of Alzheimers disease, UCI researchers find
8. Colleagues to recognize research leadership in cancer detection, prevention and treatment
9. New view of leukemia cells identifies best treatment options, Stanford researchers say
10. Genetic model for devastating form of paraplegia suggests new treatments
11. Protective mechanism exploited by tumors may provide new cancer treatment

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: New treatment may relieve chronic pain reported the November issue

(Date:11/23/2009)... By producing some of the highest resolution image...tists have a deeper understanding how biomolecules... lead to a new treatment for kidney stones using b...e Nov. 23 online edition of the journal Proceedin...how peptides interact with mineral surfaces by acc...
(Date:11/23/2009)...thern California biomedical engineer and cardiolog... to help clinicians distinguish cardiac emergencie...s manageable with drugs and lifestyle change. , ... the arteries feeding the heart, offer an inside v...od vessels, often revealing deposits of a dangerou...
(Date:11/23/2009)... classify the gender of six-week-old turkey poults...led shortly after birth, according to Dr. Gerald S...n Germany and his team. Their use of infrared spec...ows that it is a fast and accurate method with the...identify and select female eggs for breeding. The ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Scientists watch as peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes' 2Scientists watch as peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes' 3Stable plaque or heart attack plaque? USC researcher builds new sensor to tell which is which 2Rescuing male turkey chicks 2Lumension Podcast Highlights Evolving State of Endpoint Security and Why Organizations Need to Augment Blacklisting with Whitelisting to Optimize Secu 57459 1Lumension Podcast Highlights Evolving State of Endpoint Security and Why Organizations Need to Augment Blacklisting with Whitelisting to Optimize Secu 57459 2Lumension Podcast Highlights Evolving State of Endpoint Security and Why Organizations Need to Augment Blacklisting with Whitelisting to Optimize Secu 57459 3Dean MacCarter Ph D Addressed Differentiation of Responder vs Non Responder CRT Status with Low Level Exercise at HFSA13th Annual Scientific Meeting 57454 1Dean MacCarter Ph D Addressed Differentiation of Responder vs Non Responder CRT Status with Low Level Exercise at HFSA13th Annual Scientific Meeting 57454 2Dean MacCarter Ph D Addressed Differentiation of Responder vs Non Responder CRT Status with Low Level Exercise at HFSA13th Annual Scientific Meeting 57454 3Dean MacCarter Ph D Addressed Differentiation of Responder vs Non Responder CRT Status with Low Level Exercise at HFSA13th Annual Scientific Meeting 57454 4Relieving pain affecting millions 57450 1Relieving pain affecting millions 57450 2Relieving pain affecting millions 57450 3
(Date:11/24/2009)..., TORONTO,Nov.24/PRNewswire-FirstCall/-Hamilton...leadingproviderofadvancedlasersystemsandinstrument...odayreportedoperationalandfinancialresultsfortheth...hts,-Revenuewas$1.46millioncomparedwith$1.43milli...dwith66.1percentinQ3,2008,-Netlossreducedto$148,00...
(Date:11/24/2009)...009/PRNewswire-FirstCall/--ArenaPharmaceuticals,In...cheduledtopresentatthePiperJaffray21stAnnualHealth...me(8:30a.m.PacificTime)attheNewYorkPalaceHotelinNe...tiveOfficer,isscheduledtoprovideanoverviewofthecom...ograms. ,, Aliveaudiowebcastofthepresentationwi...
(Date:11/24/2009)...ber24/PRNewswire/--HealthRoboticstodayannounced,th...elected,investors.ThisrecentlyformedToronto-basedc...,Inc.andwillmarket,install,andsupport,HealthRoboti...olutionaryproductofferingsi.v.STATION(TM),i.v.SOFT...rovideassistanceonan"asneeded,basis"toitsstrategic...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), the global expe...atent office is now the world,s leading producer o...a trailed Japan,s patent office, the World Intelle... States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for mo...PO in 2006, and exceeded Japan for the first time ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 2Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 3Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 4Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 5Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 6Hamilton Thorne announces third quarter results 7Arena Pharmaceuticals to Present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference 2Health Robotics Continues its Global Expansion With December 09 ASHP's Launch of Joint Venture in Canada 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 2China Leads All Nations in Publication of Chemical Patents According to CAS, the World's Most Authoritative Publisher of Chemical Information 3
Other News:
One of the great frustrations of modern medicine is the creeping ability of pathogenic microbes to develop resistance to the antibiotics we throw at them. ......More and more, microbes are able to eli
In teenagers, being overweight appears to threaten the success of wearing a back brace, the most commonly prescribed and only proven non-surgical treatment for curvature of the spine, say researchers
...ay eventually help physicians identify certain wom...er from using hormone replacement therapy, accordi... of the University of Southern California.......Ke...han 200 women and found that those with a genetic ...
...03 (Durban, South Africa) The budget shortfall fo...ks and protected areas is estimated to be $2.5 bil... of economists, scientists, governments and protec...s in developing nations.......The analysis also es...
Potent toxin reveals new antibiotic resistance mechanism 2Potent toxin reveals new antibiotic resistance mechanism 3Bracing is less effective in overweight teens with scoliosis 2Genetic clues may show which women face breast cancer risk from HRT 2Genetic clues may show which women face breast cancer risk from HRT 3Worlds protected areas suffer from $2.5 billion annual shortfall 2Worlds protected areas suffer from $2.5 billion annual shortfall 3
Researchers in Delft University of Technologys Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in The Netherlands have cast new light on the workings of the important cancer inhibitor topotecan. Little had been known
...Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have, for...dation and autism in mice.... The work will be rep...gs of the National Academy of Sciences the week of...ted to model Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), the leading...
...one marrow stem cells injected into a damaged inne...ring loss. The related report by Kamiya et al, Mes...ring recovery through the repair of injured cochle...erican Journal of Pathology.... Hearing loss has m...
...y, whereas small jaws are functional in capturing ... trade-offs between force and velocity could cause...mals such as birds, fish, and salamanders. Junji K... that a new trade-off exists in animal feeding beh...
TU Delft tracks the influence of a cancer inhibitor on a single DNA molecule 2MIT researchers reverse symptoms in mice of leading inherited cause of mental retardation 2MIT researchers reverse symptoms in mice of leading inherited cause of mental retardation 3Can you hear me now? Stem cells enhance hearing recovery 2