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New Study Reveals TRPM8 Protein's Role in Cold Sensation

3/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

David Julius, Nobel Prize–winning researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, led a Nature study on the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) protein.
The team found TRPM8 opens in cold by shifting its structure, allowing ions to signal cold to the brain.
The findings show TRPM8 is more dynamic than its avian counterpart that does not respond to cold, suggesting therapies for cold hypersensitivity in chemotherapy patients.

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Story summary

David Julius, Nobel Prize–winning researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, led a Nature study on the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) protein.
The team found TRPM8 opens in cold by shifting its structure, allowing ions to signal cold to the brain.
The findings show TRPM8 is more dynamic than its avian counterpart that does not respond to cold, suggesting therapies for cold hypersensitivity in chemotherapy patients.