New pain relief targets discovered

The immune cell enters the nerve. Credit: Dr. Marzia Malcangio, King’s College London

Scientists have identified new pain relief targets that could be used to provide relief from chemotherapy-induced pain. BBSRC-funded researchers at King’s College London made the discovery when researching how pain occurs in nerves in the periphery of the body.

Dr Marzia Malcangio said: “We have been investigating and identifying mechanisms underlying pain generation and our findings could help chemotherapy patients who suffer pain related side effects.”

One potential side effect of some chemotherapy drugs (such as vincristine) is damage to nerves. This is particularly prominent in hands and feet as the drugs affect nerves in the periphery of the body. This causes pain which doctors treat with painkillers. However, some people find that the pain persists.

Dr Malcangio’s team investigated why the chemotherapy drugs were causing pain in hope to solve the problem. The used mice in…