An 'off' switch for pain: Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 - 10:30
in Biology & Nature
Pain? Just turn it off! It may sound like science fiction, but researchers based in Munich, Berkeley and Bordeaux have now succeeded in inhibiting pain-sensitive neurons on demand, in the laboratory. The crucial element in their strategy is a chemical sensor that acts as a light-sensitive switch.