Do you have trouble with your nerves, that is your actual nerves not your nervous reaction to things, then in future you may be turning to the humble herpes virus for relief.

Neurologist David Fink of Ann Arbour University has been experimenting with herpes in a way that most people don't. It may not be as much fun but the benefits of his ground breaking research hold the key to relief for suffers of a nerve disease that is one of the most painful. Neuropathy is the degeneration of the nerves and is a common complication of diabetes and other diseases. It causes patients to experience excruciating pain when a normal person would experience only a mild touching sensation, temperatures that would normally be perceived as pleasantly warm feel furnace-hot.

Part of the problem arises from an absence of a substance called GABA, you don't care what it stands for.

Viruses, in case you are unaware, are very simple structures designed for inserting renegade DNA into cells in your body and Dr Dave is using this behaviour in the much maligned herpes virus to insert GABA producing genes into these nerve cells.

The herpes virus is modified to make it harmless and the gene, along with a promoter to switch on the gene, is inserted into the virus. The virus was then injected into the spinal chord where it goes about its work.

At this stage the only beneficiaries of the technique have been rats however the rats are very pleased with the results. Human trials are expected to commence next year.

A Green Man note: Images of herpes returned from a google search were far too gross for just after lunch and accordingly the entry is image free.

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