A team of Case Western University School of Medicine researchers have mapped out the full-length structure of a protein named Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid subtype 2, or TRPV2, which may advance pharmaceutical research for treating chronic pain and cancer.
Previously, the research team — led by principal investigator Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, PhD — established TRPV2 is involved in outgrowth of sensory neurons which can cause potentially crippling chronic pain. It is also involved in malignancy in neuroblastomas, prostate cancer and bladder cancer.
By understanding the protein's structure, the researchers may be able to develop new therapeutic treatments for chronic pain and malignant cancer cells.
"By combining our findings regarding both this protein's structure and molecular mechanism, we can investigate it with a more holistic understanding," said Dr. Moiseenkova-Bell. "This positions us to develop pharmaceutical compounds that target TRPV2 as treatment for chronic pain."
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