Photo by lintmachine

What would it be like to never have an itch again?  Well, scientists are one step closer to answering this question for chronic sufferers of the itch.  According to this recent article, scientists at the University of Washington have not only isolated the “itch gene,” but also successfully found itch nerve cells.   The researchers were able to control itching in mice by knocking out the gene that controls these cells.  The surprising thing was that the mice could still sense and react to pain but had no itching response.  Up until now, most scientists believed that the itch was carried in pain neurons.

Why do we care about the itching gene in mice anyway?  Well, think of all those times when you just wanted to climb out of your skin because of an itch.  As it turns out, millions of people suffer from chronic itching.  According to Dr. Glenn Giesler of the University of Minnesota, knowledge of the source of the itch could “pinpoint targets for future treatments” and help those with this “debilitating condition produced by more than 50 diseases.”

So, next time you have the urge to scratch, think about those little itch cells that are being triggered in your skin and think about having the power to turn them off!

What is the benefit of having an itch and thus the harm if the itch response was gone?  How could we safely knock out the itch gene in humans if the mouse treatment involved a toxin injection?