Researchers have come up with a procedure that they believe open the possibility of developing treatment for patients who are unable to feel pain. The procedure can also allow medics help patients manage chronic pain.

The condition, scientifically dubbed Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA), is a rare disorder where a person cannot feel any pain, heat, cold or physical feelings in general.

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According to an article of Modern Readers, scientists from University College London have conducted experiments with mice that have been genetically modified to remove its nerve channels. To relay information to the nervous system, nerve cells make use of different channels and this includes the sensation of pain.

Sodium channel Nav1.7 is influential for signaling pain as previous research had pointed out. Humans born with their Nav1.7 non-functional are unaffected and resistant to pain.

"After a decade of rather disappointing drug trials, we now have confirmation that Nav1.7 really is a key element in human pain," John Wood said, University College London professor and a lead author of this study lead.

A nerve channel break down means no pain whatsoever. However, knowing what can cause this pain has obligated scientists to go deeper and more intensely into finding ways to stop it.

An article by The News Journal said using normal pain blockers, patients can feel complete painlessness and total numbness. However, there are side effects of these drugs. Painkillers are said to have an addiction risk and potentially can lead to other various life -threatening conditions.

But since CIPA patients usually produce and discharge low doses of opioids, which is higher than most others, the researchers saw they could imitate this effect and reduce the risk by combining both methods.

Still, it will take some more time before the research reaches its conclusions and treatment becomes conventional. Patent has been filed using a combination of the drugs and the researchers hope to begin more expansive human trials in 2017. Soon, chronic pain may be a thing of the past. 

TagsBritish, Researchers, University College London, Pain, painkillers, CIPA, Nav1.7, Human Pain, Modern Reader