Zellbiologie: Forschung & Therapie

Genetics of pain

Sabu Kumar James    

Pain is one of the most common reasons why patients visit their Primary care health provider. It is very subjective and has complex bio-psycho-social components, which makes it quite a challenge to treat and manage. Both ‘nature’ (genes) and ‘nurture’ (environment) play their roles in the experience, perception and expression of pain for the organism. Recent advances in the field of genetics, epigenetics and cloning have made it easier to gain valuable insights into the pain matrix and its complexity. Various channels and their coding genes have been identified shedding light into both congenital and acquired pain conditions- this knowledge may one day pave the way for ‘personalised pain medicine’.