Researchers at Duke University have shown that blocking an enzyme involved in iron regulation not only kills multiple myeloma cancer cells, but also increases the effectiveness of current therapies against the disease.

Salk neuroscientists discover brain area called gracile nucleus is central to the development of mechanical allodynia, a chronic pain condition that affects 7 to 10 percent of the global population. The findings show that uncoordinated gracile nuclei neural activity patterns cause mechanical allodynia—not a simple increase in activity as previously assumed. The discovery aids the century-long scientific endeavor of deciphering how the brain perceives and encodes pain and is a crucial step toward designing acute and chronic pain therapeutics.