It is already known that Natural Killer cells play an important role in fighting cancer, in both mice and humans.
It is already known that Natural Killer cells play an important role in fighting cancer, in both mice and humans. In some cancer treatments, their function is enhanced by using drugs to make the cells more active.
In this new pain research, funded by the National Research Council of Korea, the MRC, NIH and ERC, the team used a similar approach to make the Natural Killer cells more effective in removing damaged nerve fibres in mice. They showed that better removal of these damaged fibres reduced the hypersensitivity associated with chronic nerve pain.
Alexander Davies of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences said: ‘Long-term pain from nerve injury remains a challenge for modern medicine because we have no way of removing damaged nerve fibres without causing more injury.
Read more at University of Oxford
Image: Natural Killer cells invading a damaged nerve. (Credit: Alexander Davies)
