Sunburn Study Could Lead to New Pain Relief
July 15, 2011| |
Researchers at King's College London (KCL) have discovered a molecule in human body called CXCL5 that controls sensitivity to pain from UVB irradiation. This molecule is a new target for medicines to treat pain caused by other common inflammatory conditions like arthritis and cystitis.
Professor Stephen McMahon and Dr. David Bennett at KCL discovered the molecule after analyzing several overexpressed pain mediators involved in sunburn. Further testing on rats showed that a neutralizing antibody targeting CXCL5 significantly decreased the sensitivity to pain caused by the UVB irradiation.
"I'm excited about where these findings could take us in terms of eventually developing a new type of analgesic for people who suffer from chronic pain," said Prof. McMahon. "We intend to extend this approach to other types of pain and in particular to study patients suffering from chronic pain with the hope that this will speed up the process of turning science into effective treatments for patients," explained Dr. Bennett.
Read more about the study at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2011/07July/Discovery-why-sunburn-hurts-could-lead-new-pain-relief-drugs-inflammatory-conditions.aspx.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Ministerial Action Plan on Food Price and Volatility
- Potato Genomic Sequence Completed
- Chinese and Swahili Versions of Mandy and Fanny Cartoon Book on Biotech
- Nanotechnologies for the Poor
- Biosafety Communication Skills for NEMA Officers
- German Chancellor Visits BecA
- Breeding Procedure Accelerates Winter Wheat Development
- Bolivia Gov't to Allow Expanded Use of GM Foods
- 'Evening' Protein Complex Regulates Plant Growth
- Yeutter: Don't Let America Lose its Agricultural Edge
- Vilsack Appoints Members to Advisory Committee on Biotech and 21st Century Agriculture
- Plant Branching Hormone Discovered
- Philippine Media Reportage on Biotech
- CSIRO Identifies Gene Affected by CMV
- ISAAA Publishes Bt Cotton Events & Hybrids in India, 2002 to 2010
- Bangladesh Finalizes National Biotech Policy Action Plan
- China Opts for International Cooperation on Biotechnology
- SEARCA and Partners to Conduct Regional Media Workshop on Biotechnology and Climate Change
- Making Rice More Adapted to High CO2 Concentration
- Egg Producers Ask Supermarkets to Drop Non-GM Requirement on Feeds
- EFSA Launches Guidance on 90-day Feeding Studies on Whole Food and Feed in Rodents
-
Research Highlights
- Scientists Compare Efficacy of Single and Stacked Bt Genes on Pink Bollworm and Tobacco Caterpillar
- Bt Rice Does Not Stimulate an Outbreak of its Non-target Herbivore
- Sucrose Regulates Plant Responses to Phosphate Starvation
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Sunburn Study Could Lead to New Pain Relief
- Rewriting the Code of Life Possible
-
Announcements
- First Announcement of 6th International Congress on Legume Genetics and Genomics
- Biotech Showcase 2012
-
Resources
- New Publication on Molecular Profiling
- Document on Green Transformation
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (May 7, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 30, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet