Navigation Links
Scientists use gene transfer technology and common virus to block neuropathic pain

Remember how it felt the last time you burned your finger on a hot stove? Imagine what it's like to have that burning pain in your hands or feet all the time and know there's virtually nothing you can do about it.

It's called neuropathic pain, and it's a common complication of many diseases and medical conditions, especially diabetes. Drugs have little effect on this type of pain, which is caused by damage to sensory neurons that transmit pain, temperature and touch signals to and from the brain.

Now, scientists at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Medical School have developed a way to block the signals responsible for neuropathic pain. The secret to their success is based on a virus called herpes simplex or HSV ?the same virus that causes cold sores and genital herpes. The scientists use a disabled form of the virus, called a vector, to deliver genes to the nucleus of neural cells.

A study published today in the June, 2005 of the Annals of Neurology describes how laboratory rats with nerve damage showed much less pain-related behavior after receiving injections of the HSV-based vector, which contained a gene called GAD, or glutamic acid decarboxylase. The treatment's pain-killing effect lasted up to six weeks, and even longer in rats that received additional injections.

The study is the first to demonstrate the successful use of gene transfer technology, using a herpes viral vector, to treat peripheral neuropathic pain in animals. Based on their success in related studies with research animals, the scientists hope to conduct the first clinical study in human patients soon.

"We use the vector to provide targeted gene delivery to the nervous system," says David J. Fink, M.D., the Robert W. Brear Professor of Neurology in the U-M Medical School and staff neurologist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, who co-directed the research study. "In this case, we're not trying to correct a genetic defec
'"/>

Source:University of Michigan Health Systems


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Scientists ID molecular switch in liver that triggers harmful effects of saturated and trans fats
2. Scientists Replicate Hepatitis C Virus in Laboratory
3. Scientists detect probable genetic cause of some Parkinsons disease cases
4. Scientists find missing enzyme for tuberculosis iron scavenging pathway
5. Scientists seek answers on what activates deadly anthrax spores
6. Yale Scientists Find MicroRNA Regulates Ras Cancer Gene
7. Scientists collaborate to assess health of global environment
8. Scientists decipher genome of fungus that can cause life-threatening infections
9. Scientists discover the cellular roots of graying hair
10. Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells
11. Scientists develop new color-coded test for protein folding
Post Your Comments:
(Date:7/24/2008)...UL (July 24, 2008) A multi-institutional team of ...y of Minnesota Medical School, have developed a po... robust method will allow researchers to generate ...NA sequences for inactivation or repair. , The po...h.D., director of the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Cen...
(Date:7/24/2008)..., Iowa The University of Iowa and Iowa State Univ...y enhance both institutions, genetic research capa...ased a massively parallel DNA sequencer an instru...ate of millions to billions of bases in a single r... will be available on a fee-for-service basis to r...
(Date:7/24/2008)... may have reduced carbon storage in western U.S. f...y twentieth century has caused a widespread increa...e density of stems growing on trees within western...forests and are thought to account for much of Nor...es in aboveground biomass, Fellows and Goulden com...
(Date:7/23/2008)...thy nations willing to collectively spend about $1...ughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide...ests. , It would take about that much money to ...n in the world, one of the top contributors to gre...f adopted, this type of program could have potenti...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Consortium develops new method to manipulate genetic material 2UI and ISU establish shared DNA sequencing instrumentation 2UI and ISU establish shared DNA sequencing instrumentation 3AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 2AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 3AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 4AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 5AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 6AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 7AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 8Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions 2Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions 3Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions 4National Patient Advocate Foundation Hails Senator Rockefeller for Introducing Bill Protecting Patient Access to Health Coverage 4709 1National Patient Advocate Foundation Hails Senator Rockefeller for Introducing Bill Protecting Patient Access to Health Coverage 4709 2New Study of Concerta 28R 29 Showed Significant Improvement of ADHD Symptom Management in Adults Compared to Placebo 678 1New Study of Concerta 28R 29 Showed Significant Improvement of ADHD Symptom Management in Adults Compared to Placebo 678 2New Study of Concerta 28R 29 Showed Significant Improvement of ADHD Symptom Management in Adults Compared to Placebo 678 3New Study of Concerta 28R 29 Showed Significant Improvement of ADHD Symptom Management in Adults Compared to Placebo 678 4Norman Borlaug Rob Horsch to keynote world hunger lecture 982 1Norman Borlaug Rob Horsch to keynote world hunger lecture 982 2Vote Online to Help One Lucky Family Win a Dream Home Makeover 4704 1Vote Online to Help One Lucky Family Win a Dream Home Makeover 4704 2Vote Online to Help One Lucky Family Win a Dream Home Makeover 4704 3
...rn Medical Center have identified a group of fruit..." in the embryonic stages of development, a discov...n heart defects. , "We engineered a fruit fly so ...new type of malformation, completely unexpectedly,...gy at UT Southwestern and senior author of the stu...
... the flowers they pollinate, has declined signific... 25 years according to research led by the Univers...(21 July 2006). The paper is the first evidence of...s have been raised for years about the loss of pol...evidence has been restricted to a few key species ...
...sed topically in many skin creams and cosmetics be...new research just published in the Journal of Nutr...flavanol-rich cocoa and how it might actually bene...that certain components in cocoa may actually help...g hydration, decreasing skin roughness and scaling...
...orld soon could be made completely flood-tolerant ...s, done in collaboration with scientists at UC Dav...n the Philippines. By gradually introducing into C... that enables rice to survive extreme flood condit...iety of rice could be made to survive short-term f...
Other Biology News:UT Southwestern researchers find gene mutation that leads to 'broken hearts' 2Wild bees and the flowers they pollinate are disappearing together 2Wild bees and the flowers they pollinate are disappearing together 3New study reveals components of cocoa may enhance the appearance of the skin 2Researchers develop flood-tolerant California rice 2Researchers develop flood-tolerant California rice 3
(Date:7/24/2008)...re/ -- The Global Probiotics Council,(GPC), a comm...ult Honsha,Co., Ltd., announced the two awardees w...rant for Probiotics Research (YIGPRO) today. The p...who will continue to contribute to,the advancement...United,States., Ajay S. Gulati, MD, an Assistant ...
(Date:7/24/2008)... Important Advance in Radiofrequency ...if., July 24 /- PEAK Surgical, Inc., ...tissue dissection system,based on a proprietary te...rug Administration has granted the company 510(k) ... use in general surgery. The PEAK Surgery System,c...
(Date:7/24/2008)...ire/ -- Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,a privately-...nced that it,has launched ceftazidime for injectio...m antibiotic. Sagent will offer ceftazidime in 1,a...ge vials. According to,IMS data, 2007 sales of inj...ximately $45.7 million., "Sagent is proud to be p...
(Date:7/24/2008)...swire-FirstCall/ -- United,Therapeutics Corporatio...lease its 2008 second quarter financial results be...., United Therapeutics will host a half-hour tele.... Eastern Time. The teleconference is accessible,b...rs dialing,1-706-679-8129. A rebroadcast of the te...
Breaking Biology Technology:Global Probiotics Council Announces First Awardees for New Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research 2Global Probiotics Council Announces First Awardees for New Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research 3Global Probiotics Council Announces First Awardees for New Young Investigator Grant for Probiotics Research 4PEAK Surgical Receives 510(k) Clearance to Market PEAK(R) Surgery System for Use in General Surgery 2PEAK Surgical Receives 510(k) Clearance to Market PEAK(R) Surgery System for Use in General Surgery 3PEAK Surgical Receives 510(k) Clearance to Market PEAK(R) Surgery System for Use in General Surgery 4Sagent Pharmaceuticals Launches Ceftazidime for Injection, USP 2
...nst CoreComm Voyager, Inc . for violating Wiscons... by the state attorney general. , ,CoreComm, a Del...s and related services to Wisconsin customers, man...nsin-based internet provider subsequently acquired...y Circuit Court, alleged that CoreComm failed to c...
...ing the mystic city of Tunisia, a small group of e...ain try to figure out the future of the Internet. ...naming system," the basic early architecture that ...ment. , ,The politico-technocrats and the neo-cybe...n November, they will fight out their agendas and ...
... Software has announced the availability of the P...aystation Portable owners easily move content from...ith PSP Media Manager software, users can transfer...al computer to a Playstation Portable, via a USB-c...n that lets users back up game saves, images, vide...
...edical Systems, Inc., a maker of cardiology infor...Emageon Inc. , of Birmingham, Alabama, for $40 mil...ement systems for radiologists. The purchase gives...id John W. Thompson, president of Thompson Investm...ber. , ,Camtronics currently markets to 350 hospi...
Other Biology Technology:CoreComm slapped by AG for violating telecommunications laws 2The winners and losers of the internet break-up 2The winners and losers of the internet break-up 3Camtronics Medical Systems is bought by Alabama company 2
...rigerated Vapor Trap Models RVT100, RVT400, RVT405...els UVS400, UVS400A and UVS800DDA., A non-corrosi... suitable for use for temperatures ranging from -1... thermal stability and does not evaporate. Far sup...
...proteomics demands the detection of very small amo...IMA-CFRplus with improved resolution (20,000) and ... confidence in protein identification. The AXIMA-C...nsitivity, automated sample target handling and th...
...f the Axima range, the AXIMA-CFR provides a combin...ty and mass range, and offers excellent versatilit...nalysis. The unique patented curved field reflectr...ng efficient and economical peptide fragmentation ...
Rat Lung Fibroblasts (RLF) (>500,000 cells)
Biology Products: