Wrappers Delight

Hoping to understand why some nerves heal, while injury to others leaves permanent damage, researchers grew this artificial bed of nerve cells or neurons. On the left, stringy neuron fibres called axons develop along tiny channels towards the chamber on the right. Here they meet oligodendrocytes (green) – cells which wrap around and protect the axons, just as they do in our spinal cord. After injury to a peripheral nerve, in the hand for example, 'broken' bits of neuron quickly disintegrate and are cleared away so fresh growth can begin. In the spine things are different. Making tiny cuts in these lab-grown axons to mimic spinal injury, researchers found that oligodendrocytes actually block the clearing process and prevent healing. Boosting levels of VEGFR1 – a protein at work in neurons elsewhere in the body – restores 'healing' in the lab, raising hopes for future treatments to prevent lasting nerve damage or paraplegia.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by Adrien Vaquié and colleagues
• Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in Cell Reports, June 2019