Glossary Terms

The nervous system’s detection and processing of painful stimuli — what turns tissue damage into the experience of pain.Substance P

A trial designed to show a new treatment is "not much worse" than an existing standard — sometimes a legitimate

A key "inflammation switch" inside cells — when it’s activated, cells produce inflammatory signals; when it’s blocked, inflammation is reduced.A

The formal submission to the FDA asking for permission to sell a drug — requires years of clinical trial data

The master switch for melanocyte identity — turns on the entire melanin-production machinery.MITF expression is induced by MC1R–cAMP–PKA signaling. Once

A statistical method that combines results from many individual studies into one overall estimate — the most powerful form of

The biological process that makes melanin — the pigment that determines skin color and protects skin from UV radiation.Initiated by

A family of five related receptors activated by the same group of peptides but located in different tissues — controlling

The specific biological process a compound uses to produce its effects — which receptor it targets, what signal it triggers,

Enzymes that remodel the structural scaffolding of tissue — essential for wound healing and follicle cycling, but potentially harmful if