The next trick for CRISPR is gene-editing pain away

The research, in which CRISPR was used to temporarily block a key molecule in pain-transmitting neurons in the spinal cord of mice, was described in a preprint paper published in July. The idea is to inject the cerebral spinal fluid with viral particles carrying a modified version of CRISPR designed to interrupt pain signals. The rush for a new generation of pain treatments began when scientists discovered a new gene called SCN9A, which makes a molecule present in nerves that is a key player in transmitting pain to the brain. Mutations in this gene can swing the pain threshold in either direction–one might feel more or less pain.

When I started writing The Pain Colony about a year and a half before this article was released, I didn’t realize how close we were. Science fiction is becoming science fact. At a frightening pace.

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