'Wasabi receptor' for pain discovered in flatworms

(Northwestern University) A Northwestern University research team has discovered how scalding heat and tissue injury activate an ancient 'pain' receptor in simple animals. The findings, from a study of flatworms, could lead to new strategies for analgesic drug design for the treatment of humans. That planarian flatworms use the same molecular receptor as flies, mice and humans to detect potentially damaging or noxious stimuli from the environment shows a remarkable level of evolutionary conservation, the researchers say.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news