Woman who doesn't feel pain

Scientists working with Professor John Wood in the Molecular Nociception Group at the WIBR have discovered that Jo Cameron is not able to feel pain due to a mutation in the FAAH gene that plays a role in pain sensation. Jo also has a second mutation involving missing DNA in a Gene named FAAH-OUT.

“

People with rare insensitivity to pain can be valuable to medical research as we learn how their genetic mutations impact how they experience pain, so we would encourage anyone who does not experience pain to come forward.

We hope that with time, our findings might contribute to clinical research for post-operative pain and anxiety, and potentially chronic pain, PTSD and wound healing." Dr James Cox

 

• The woman who doesn't feel pain
  BBC, 28 March 2019
• Scientists find genetic mutation that makes woman feel no pain
  Guardian, 28 March 2019
• The Times view on Jo Cameron, who feels no pain: Superwoman
  Times, 28 March 2019
• A life without pain would be good, but one without anxiety would be blissful
  Daily Telegraph, 29 March 2019

• Molecular Nociception Group, WIBR, UCL