Ballyjamesduff doctor leading pain research at Harvard

Have you ever wondered why some people are less sensitive to pain than others? It's not simply that they are brave and the rest of us are wimps. Classic studies of twins indicate that about 50% of a variance in pain sensitivity is inherited. In view of the fact that pain plays a big role in our lives at one time or another, it is exciting to see that a young doctor from Ballyjamesduff is leading the research into the area and how it can be relieved. Dr Shane Cronin is carrying out the research at Harvard Medical School in Boston and, with Michael Costigan and Clifford Woolf, discovered a new human pain gene. This gene encodes a2d3, a component of the calcium channels and controls pain sensitivity in flies, mice and humans. They and a team of researchers have now zeroed in on one particular gene after studying fruit flies and mice. Dr Cronin attended Crosserlough NS and St Patrick's College, Cavan, then Trinity College, where he studied Human Genetics. While there he was awarded research scholarships to intern at Scripps Research Institute, San Diego and at University of Pittsburgh, PA. He has since attained a doctorate in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Vienna, worked at Institute of Molecular Biotechnology for six years and has been research fellow at Harvard since 2009. He has also been to San Diego and Pittsburgh to do research. For his PhD, his work focused on the immune system and how the body fights against disease, infection and cancer. He is a son of Fintan and Phyllis Cronin, who have a newsagent in Ballyjamesduff, and he has two brothers, Garry and Cathal and three sisters, Nicola, a teacher in Castleknock; Reiltin, who works in a bank in London; and Sharon, who works in Brussels. His current work is focusing on mechanisms of pain, how we feel pain and how to alleviate such pain. He is also looking at how the immune system is involved in pain. Dr Cronin expects to be employed in Boston for another two years, attached to the Children's Hospital and working at Harvard Medical School. He explained to The Anglo-Celt that his research into pain started with the study of flies and has now been transferred to the study of mice. He hopes the breakthrough will ultimately be good news for humans in the treatment of lower back pain, arthritis, diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome, and the control of pain. They are different but they share common mechanisms and "we believe this calcium channel is one of these proteins are a potential target for many chronic pain syndromes", he said. Cystic fibrosis is a common genetic syndrome but there are also the spontaneous pain syndromes like certain cancers. They are affecting the genes but they are not inherited. Certain cancers are definitely inherited and there is also the element of how the environment interacts and affects genes. Shane is a proud Cavan man and wears his Cavan jersey in Boston while many others are wearing their Stanford jerseys and hoodies. He revealed that Ireland was a great location for research before the downturn and was well known throughout Europe and the USA. Ultimately he would like to return home and maybe open a biotech business. The pro-active environment for research is most stimulating in Boston and even when you go for coffee there are doctors and scientists around. It is ideal for the researchers to be able to network with the doctors. The Irish who are working in the medical fields have a great reputation in Boston and in Vienna, said Shane.