The sensation of pain while universal can also be influenced by culture. Though there is progress in understanding new pathways on how pain is processed at a bio-chemical level in the body, the current class of painkillers that consist of opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) will remain the mainstay of treatment for a long time, said David Julius, biochemist, molecular physiologist and co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology.
Dr. Julius addressed scientists and students at a talk, on Friday, as part of the annual TNQ Distinguished Lectures in the Life Sciences. In a nearly two-hour discourse, where he spoke on the topic, ‘How we sense pain’ and took a range of questions from the audience at the Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhii, Dr. Julius described his scientific journey as a student and biologist and how he discovered a novel pathway and pain receptor – called TRPV1 – that responds to capscacin, the compound in chilli peppers that gives the sensation of heat. While capsaicin was already known to activate nerve cells causing pain sensations, how the chemical actually exerted this function was an unsolved riddle. Through his investigations, he discovered a heat-sensing receptor that is activated at temperatures perceived as “painful.”
