US scientists are working on a new form of gene therapy that targets the spinal cord in order to treat chronic pain. In the study, which is still at the animal testing stage, researchers used an adenovirus (similar to a cold virus) to deliver the beta-endorphin genes to the rats' central nervous systems. To the researchers' delight, the genes were readily taken up by the connective tissue cells that surround the spinal cord.
Heat-lamp tests showed that 'hyperalgesic' pain (supersensitive pain that is used as a model for the chronic pain of cancer or arthritis) was suppressed throughout the rats' bodies, but they were shown to still have normal responses to painful stimuli. It is thought that this approach could have applications not just to pain control, but to a wide range of conditions including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
The research, carried out by scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the University of Pennsylvania, is reported in the May 1 issue of Human Gene Therapy.
Sources and References
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Gene therapy for pain
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Taking away the pain with gene therapy
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