Gene therapy treats chronic pain by dialing down sodium

Chronic pain is a significant public health issue that affects roughly a third of the U.S. population. Scientists are eager to develop pain medications that are more effective and safer alternatives to opioids.

Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry’s Pain Research Center have developed a gene therapy that treats chronic pain by indirectly regulating a specific sodium ion channel, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The innovative therapy, tested in cells and animals, is made possible by the discovery of the precise region where a

Reference: Gene therapy treats chronic pain by dialing down sodium; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217800120