Neuroscientists have reportedly discovered a mechanism that may be able to reverse chronic pain. A university news release states that the research conducted by neuroscientist Gerald Zamponi, PhD, lead study author, (pictured above) and his team at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute used an animal model during the study. They then found that pain signals in nerve cells can be shut off by interfering with the communication of a specific enzyme with calcium channels, a group of proteins that control nerve impulses.
The study appears in the September issue of Neuron
According to the release, Zamponi is now applying his research and partnering with the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) in Vancouver to develop a treatment that may one day improve the lives of individuals with inflammatory pain such as arthritis, neuropathic pain, or irritable bowel disease. The approach may potentially help reduce pain linked to these conditions.
Zamponi explains that since chronic pain can be a debilitating condition, impacting many people, “…. new treatment avenues are needed. Our discovery opens the door towards new treatments, and based on the data that we have so far, it is a viable strategy.”
The release notes that with CDRD, Zamponi and his team are screening more than 100,000 molecules in an effort to pinpoint one that would stop the enzyme from communicating with the calcium channel. Isolating the right molecule, could pave the way for treatment. The release adds that commercialization of the project is possible as Zamponi and his team are one of six successful projects funded through the competition of the Alberta/Pfizer Translational Research Fund Opportunity.
Photo Credit: Trudie Lee Photography, for Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions
Source: University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine
