Congratulations to Roberta Gualdani and Philippe Gailly for their recent publication in PNAS!
Abstract:
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) are common surgical techniques used to correct refractive errors (myopia; hyperopia; astigmatism...). After LASIK or PRK, a subgroup of patients experiences severe, persistent pain of unknown origin, described by patients as a sensation of broken glass in the eye.
In their study, two researchers from our institute, Roberta Gualdani and Philippe Gailly, investigated a TRPV1 variant, p.V527M, found in a 49-year-old woman who developed corneal pain after LASIK and subsequent PRK, reporting an Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score of 100.
The data presented in the article show that V527M mutation confers susceptibility to post-operative corneal neuropathic pain by increasing the excitability of trigeminal ganglion neurons, increasing sensitivity to bradykinin and protons, two inflammatory mediators released after trigeminal nerve injury, and decreasing capsaicin-induced desensitization in trigeminal ganglion neurons.
This study represents a breakthrough in our understanding of the genetic basis of post-operative neuropathic pain, which affects millions of people and whose molecular mechanism has yet to be elucidated.
Link to the original manuscript: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2406186121