A New Study Uncovers the Cause of the Itch
January 13th, 2008
A new study done by the King’s College in London discovered a genetic link to skin itch. In particular, the scientists participating in the study found that a defective skin cell gene called oncostatin M receptor-beta (OSMR) may be the cause of chronic itch, a condition suffered by thousands that requires medical treatment.
It’s possible that this same defective gene may give clues to why we itch in the first place, an apparent mystery to many experts still. This study lends much information to this biological response that has, before now, received little attention.
Technically speaking, an itch occurs when a cell does not respond properly to signaling molecules. Professor John McGrath, from King’s College, the study lead and president of the European Society for Dermatological Research commented on the study saying: “We now plan to look for abnormalities of this signaling pathway in other itchy skin disorders and, most importantly, to examine how we can develop new treatments for that most common of all skin symptoms, itch.”
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Total Skin Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
