A Perfect Pain Reliever?

Researchers at Columbia University are working on a ground-breaking treatment for chronic pain. According to the press release, these scientists have come up with an innovative medication that doesn't carry the risk for tolerance or addiction. The medication is currently labeled as "N60" and the Columbia team is hoping for financial backing to conduct clinical trials.

Although this is a drug that is way in the future, I bring it to your attention because understanding how N60 works is a wonderful lesson as to why you might be experiencing chronic IBS pain. According to the press release, these scientists have discovered a neural pathway in the brain that informs the brain that an injury has occurred. Over time, this pathway is at risk for continuing to activate, resulting in chronic pain. The researchers have identified a protein, known as PFG, that keeps this pathway activated even after the original injury has healed. N60 is thus a PFG blocker. Because PFG only works on chronic pain, it will not mask any new injuries. The other advantage of N60 is that it does not act on the central nervous system, thus the lack of problems with tolerance and addiction. To date, only animal studies of N60 have occurred, and has been effective in relieving chronic pain resulting from "nerve injury and inflammation".

I must stress the point that in the press release there is absolutely no mention of the medication being thought of as an IBS treatment. But given the fact that many people develop IBS after a bout of gastroenteritis, e.g. post-infectious IBS, it makes me wonder if this chronic pain pathway that N60 targets is the culprit. In which case, this N60 may turn out to be just what the doctor ordered. Any neuroscientists out there want to put in your two cents?

_Source:

_{"Researchers Discover Novel Therapeutic for Chronic Pain" Columbia Technological Adventures Press Release July, 15, 2010.}