Капустная запеканка с мясом - вкусный перекус в конце рабочего дня - Приготовление

Revolutionary technique for treating pain was devised by start-up firm Navega Therapeutics based in San Diego , California.

Hope for millions as scientists find out how to 'edit out' PAIN: Researchers discover technique to change a patient's DNA that would cut chronic agony for sufferers

Studies on mice showed that altering DNA can stop pain signals being sent

Treatment made by San Diego-based company could also be available in five years

It could help sufferers of chronic pain or with long-term pain problems

Scientists have discovered the way to cut a key ‘pain gene’, dramatically raising hopes of a long-term treatment to alleviate the agony of great illness for millions.

The revolutionary technique alters a patient’s DNA, silencing a gene that transmits pain signals up the spine.

Preliminary studies on mice have already proven successful and US researchers decide to start human trials next year, potentially offering terminally-ill patients and people with chronic conditions the prospect of pain-free care.

The treatment, devised by start-up firm Navega Therapeutics in San Diego , California, might be approved to be used in five years’ time, the founders told The Mail on Sunday.

People affected by serious long-term pain – called chronic pain – are often placed on opioid-based painkillers, causing a plague of addiction. against this , said Navega co-founder Fernando Aleman, ‘a major advantage of our approach is it’s not addictive’.

Their method uses the new high-precision gene-editing technique called CRISPR, which thus far has mainly been wont to combat rare hereditary diseases.

CRISPR utilises molecules which will be programmed to seek out a nominated ‘target’ gene. With each human cell containing around 25,000 genes, it's been compared to having the ability to seek out a needle during a haystack. A special protein then cuts out and replaces the defective target gene with a traditional gene. Last month, researchers announced that they had managed to reverse a patient’s red blood cell anaemia using this method.