2021-10-07 09:02:50
Sensing heat
Noble prize in medicine has been awarded to david Julius and Arden patapoutian.
They received this award for their seminal work in identifying the gene and understanding mechanism through which our body perceives temperature and pressure.
Ability to sense touch and temperature is essential for survival and determines our interaction with internal and external environment.
When pain response goes awry, it results in chronic pain.
Dr Julius used capsaicin an ingredient from red hot chilli pepper to identify sensors in nerve endings of skin and cellular mechanism which responds to hot temperatures.
Receptor for heat gets activated after 40c threshold for thermal pain in reaction to external heat.
Two laureates used methanol to discover receptor that sense cold temperatures after heat sensor were discovered.
Discrimination between warm and cool temperatures is possible when simultaneous activation of warmth sensing nerve fibres and inhibition of cold sensing nerve fibres is done.
Dr Patapoutian discovered novel class of mechanical sensors which responds to pressure on skin and internal organs and perception of touch and proprioception- ability to feel the position and movement of body.
Dr patapoutian is Armenian, grew up in Lebanon and fled to US in 1986.
Discovery of pain receptors have attracted pharma companies for being target of medicines.
Way forward: Upcoming researches will help to understand 'variety of physiological processes and to develop treatments for wide range of disease conditions'
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