A gene which may help explain why some people are more sensitive to and less able to tolerate pain has been discovered by scientists.

Discovery of a gene responsible for pain could greatly increase the ability to conquer and control it, said Dr Geoffrey Woods, of Cambridge University.

He said," The search for effective analgesics (pain relieving drugs) with acceptable side effects has long been the goal of doctors and biomedical researchers. "Because current therapies have limited efficacy (effectiveness), with up to 50 per cent of treated subjects receiving inadequate pain relief, there exists a significant need to develop better therapies."

According to the reports of the Telegraph, 578 people with osteoarthritis were observed in the study and boffins discovered the gene which was also found in patients with sciatica, phantom pain, back problems and pancreatitis.

The protein made by the mutated version of the gene known as SCN9A stays open longer than the normal one, the researchers found. They believe this increases the activation of nerves that produce sensations of dull, aching pain.

"As a sense, pain serves as an adaptive mechanism that protects us from tissue damage by alerting us to events that are capable of producing injury and evokes behaviors that promote tissue healing. However, the development of maladaptive persistent pain states in response to tissue injury is common, with one in six adults suffering from a chronic pain condition," Dr Woods, a medical geneticist, said. (With Inputs from Agencies)