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University of Calgary researchers figure out keys to chronic pain
Sept. 4, 2014 – Researchers at the University of Calgary say they may be getting closer to figuring out the mysteries of chronic pain.
Dr. Gerald Zamponi, a neuroscientist with the university's Hotchkiss Brain Institute, says they've discovered that with people who suffer chronic pain, there's a biochemical change.
September 4, 2014 By The Canadian Press
That causes nerves to send pain signals even though there is no injury.
He
says the transition from normal pain to chronic pain involves the
interaction of an enzyme with a protein called a calcium channel.
Zamponi says the pain signals can be shut off with a molecule that’s been found in a number of drugs already in use.
Zamponi
is now partnering with the Centre for Drug Research and Development in
Vancouver to isolate the molecule in the hopes of developing new pain
medications.
It’s estimated 20 per cent of Canadians suffer from chronic pain.
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