In the search for a cure for pain, scientists have discovered the secret of why some people are unable to feel aches, which could result in the development of powerful painkillers. For the first time ever scientists have copied a rare gene condition called congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) in a lab, allowing them to reverse the effect of a high dose of opioid (pain-killer) by adding a substance that blocks the nervous system's ability to feel it. That allowed genetically modified (GM) lab mice and a woman with CIP to feel pain and sensation.
The study was conducted by University College London (UCL). It was published in the journal Nature Communications.
The 39-year-old subject was unable to feel pain due to the gene condition CIP. However, when researchers gave the woman a dose of the drug naloxone, she was able to sense a laser burn.
Co-author John Wood explained that the woman enjoyed participating in the experiment even though she felt pain. It was the first time she had the sensation.
People who cannot feel pain lack "gene channels" called Nav1.7, which send pain signals from nerves to the brain. Scientists now know that the cause of a painless life is due to gene mutations rather than lacking the actual channels.
In fact, scientists had already developed prescription medications for CIP sufferers, which blocked Nav1.7, according to Gizmag. However, they had almost no effect.
In the part of the study that included GM mice that lacked the Nav1.7 channels, scientists learned that the rodents produced more natural painkillers known as "opioid peptides," according to The News Independent. Therefore, their theory is that the release of more opioids causes less pain sensitivity.
However, the use of naloxone allowed the human and mouse subjects to feel pain. Only a small amount of morphine combined with Nav1.7 blockers resulted in an effective, non-addictive way to prevent pain.
The study's researchers hope that their study will result in treatments to cure CIP patients who cannot feel pain. It could also help to manage chronic pain throughout people's lives.
Physical pain can be very beneficial to humans. For example, CIP patients who are in accidents such as falls might be unaware they have broken bones.