A woman who He does not feel pain, fear or anxiety it has become an important research goal for science. There are many people who do not feel pain. There are even some diseases, among the symptoms of which there is this phenomenon. And in fact, this is usually something bad, because pain is still an alarm signal that something is wrong. If, for example, we do not feel pain when putting our hand into a fire, we may not move it away and continue to burn. However, this woman who feels no pain is called Joe Cameron, This is very interesting for many other reasons.
They also do not usually experience fear or anxiety and have been observed to have a great ability to heal wounds. As a Spanish woman famous for her high resistance to cancer, Jo, who lives in Scotland, has attracted the attention of many scientists.
Some of them originating from University College London (UCL)conducted a study in which they told how they analyzed the genes that led to the fact that this woman had superpower. It’s not only good for her. It can also be very interesting to develop treatments. analgesics and anxiolytics, as well as medicines to speed up the healing of some injuries. At the moment, it has only just begun, but several genes involved have already been found, which have something to tell in this story.
Mutations of a woman who feels no pain
The story began when Jo’s therapist noticed in 2013 that she was pain free after two usually very painful surgeries. one on the arm and one on the hip.
He contacted UCL Department of Geneticswhere, with Jo’s consent, they began to work in search of the secret of her resistance to pain. It took six years to find the answer. During this time, they noticed that, in addition to resisting pain, he also rarely felt fear or anxiety and healed from his injuries very quickly.
Genetic analysis determined that all this could be due to a mutation called FAAH-OUT. Initially, the region of DNA in which it was found was almost ignored, as it was considered junk DNA. In other words, useless sequences because they don’t have instructions for protein synthesis or regulate other genes.
However, it turns out that this is not garbage at all. The mutated sequence normally regulates the expression of FAAH, a gene that is part of endocannabinoid system and that it is related to both pain and memory and mood.
More genes involved
To see all the genes involved and get a broader idea of what happens in the cells of a woman who doesn’t feel pain, they mimicked her mutation in lab-grown cells, thanks to the technology. CRISPR-Cas9. It acts like a kind of molecular paste in such a way that certain DNA sequences can be changed at will.
Thus, they saw that there are many other genes whose expression is regulated by FAAH-OUT. In other words, the sequence Joe mutated is responsible for light or switch off these genes when needed.
Among these genes are genes via WNTassociated with healing. In particular, the mutation increases the expression VNT16, gene involved in bone regeneration. It also seems to be related to BDNFthat regulates mood. And with ACCR3which helps to regulate the level of opioids so closely associated with pain.
After all, this woman’s gift for not feeling pain might bring her some trouble. After all, both pain and fear and anxiety have an evolutionary function that makes them necessary in due measure. But if scientists learn how to shape the genes that gave him these abilities, they can only leave just and necessary pain, fear and anxiety for people who suffer excessively. Joe’s rare genetics could be a boon to medicine. Undoubtedly, she is a very special person, which also did not prevent scientists from studying with her.
Source: Hiper Textual
