End Pain Forever: How a single gene could become a volume knob for human suffering
I read the article "End Pain Forever: How a single gene could become a volume knob for human suffering" by Erika Hayasaki. In this reading, the author compares and contrasts the cases of Steven Pete, the man who cannot feel any pain due to a mutation, and Pam Costa, the woman who feels chronic inflammatory pain due to a rare neurological condition. Throughout the article, the author emphasizes the drastic difference in how these 2 individuals with mirroring conditions live their lives. Their conditions have sparked extensive research within the realm of pain and pain management. To do this, Xenon Pharmaceuticals has worked to gain a better understanding of the topic. They tracked down and examined 12 different families who had individuals with a condition similar to Pete's, in that they had an insensitivity to pain. During their biological tests, they found that in these individuals, there was a mutation in a single gene known as SCN9A that accounted for the individuals' condition. This discovery marked a breakthrough in the area of pain management. Further research is now being conducted to examine the potential usefulness of this gene for improving the lives of those with chronic pain, and possibly even curing them of it.
I found this article to be particularly interesting, because of how vague the topic of pain can really be. I found the contrasting lifestyles of the 2 individuals mentioned to be intriguing as well, as their conditions produce nearly opposite effects. I think research on this topic is very essential, especially with those who deal with chronic pain every day. I do believe, however, that the process is more complicated and intricate than tampering with a single gene. There must be more supportive research conducted before any studies or experiments occur. With enough research and evidence, I think that the results and benefits would be huge for people living with chronic pain disorders.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/the-cure-for-pain/
I found this article to be particularly interesting, because of how vague the topic of pain can really be. I found the contrasting lifestyles of the 2 individuals mentioned to be intriguing as well, as their conditions produce nearly opposite effects. I think research on this topic is very essential, especially with those who deal with chronic pain every day. I do believe, however, that the process is more complicated and intricate than tampering with a single gene. There must be more supportive research conducted before any studies or experiments occur. With enough research and evidence, I think that the results and benefits would be huge for people living with chronic pain disorders.
https://www.wired.com/2017/04/the-cure-for-pain/
I definitely find this research intriguing and wonder about its implications for those living with chronic pain as well. However, my initial thought was that we feel pain for a reason. For instance, considering reflexes as we discussed in class, feeling the pain of a hot pan through our sensory neuron is what causes the information to be sent through the interneuron to the motor neuron so we are able to pull away before we get burnt. Without pain, we wouldn't have this type of reflex reaction and we would likely leave our hand on the hot pan until it has severely burned us. If we break a bone, it is important that we feel the pain so we know that something is wrong. Pain is typically thought of as a negative thing to most people, but in reality, it is necessary. I do think if somebody is living in chronic pain from a terminal disease it is possible that removing pain wouldn't be as harmful as it would to a healthy, active individual. For a person living their life in a hospital bed, they probably wouldn't need the type of protection pain provides those of us who are moving around regularly. Thus, this type of research could be beneficial in those types of cases; I definitely wonder about what other types of problems removing the sensation of pain could lead to though.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely interesting to think about how pain can impact two people so differently; by the absence of it and an excess of it. And the fact that one gene is linked to these polar opposite differences in both individuals is pretty incredible. I do think that having this information can be problematic if people don't use it the right way. Like Heather said, as a society we have this negative association with the word pain, but pain is so essential and helpful to us. In these rare cases, pain is the problem, but in most cases pain is just the signal that there is a problem. When an individual is experiencing pain, I think it's most important to figure out WHY then solve the problem from there. If there was some sort of biological mechanism that could "turn off pain" I think that more often than not it would result in a failure to address the more pressing issue.
ReplyDeleteThis research is interesting to me because pain can be experienced in so many different ways by different people. I do wish this article said more specifically how a mutation in the gene SCN9A affected individuals who did not feel pain. It also makes me wonder if individuals with chronic pain also have a mutation of this gene. I think this would be an important next step in addition to researching how this information can be used to improve the lives of individuals with chronic pain. Since pain is experienced differently by different people, it would be interesting to see if differences in the structure of this gene were present among "normal" individuals who experience chronic pain or no pain at all.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to me how researchers and doctors can take two people with opposite sides of a spectrum and are able to study them both to figure out the issues with the other. I agree with Heather in that pain is a very necessary part of survival. However, in the sense of reflexes, I wonder if the SCN9A effects the brain's retrieval of pain or if just lacks the ability to use the receptors for pain. Going off of that, I believe that if it is based off of the brain's retrieval of pain, it can help someone like Pam. I am also curious to know the extent or level to which someone should not feel pain and to what extent pain is neurological versus actual. This is definitely a groundbreaking find for those born with the mutation or develop a neurological condition such as Pam's. Furthermore, my interest also lies in the possibility of using the mutation and somehow concocting a medication or injection to soothe the chronic pain of those who have lasting injuries. Pain is an incredible sensation and subject to learn about considering it is not the same for every one. Overall, I'd love to see where this research extends to in the future of pain management.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article all I could think about was the character "Wolverine" from X-Men. Of course a majority of people would want to experience of no pain whatsoever. I liked that the article introduced two totally opposite problems. The SCN9A gene is also very interesting. If people believed they were not able to feel pain there would be a lot of "injuries". Some people might even fake an "injury" to gain some money or recognition in certain situations. If this gene mutation really becomes able to be used in the world, I predict athletes will be the first who are able to use it because they risk the chance of being hurt every day.
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