Nobel somatosensations and pain

The Nobel prices 2021 for Physiology and Medicine have been awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch, TRPV1 and PIEZO1/2. The present review tells the past history of the capsaicin receptor, covers further selected TRP channels, TRPA1 in particular, and deals with mechanosensitivity in general and mechanical hyperalgesia in particular. Other achievements of the laureates and translational aspects of their work are shortly treated.

Automated summary

This article reviews the discoveries of the Nobel laureates David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian in the field of temperature and touch receptors, TRPV1 and PIEZO1/2, and discusses topics such as mechanosensitivity and mechanical hyperalgesia.