Damaged nerves — especially in the spinal cord — often fail to regrow, leaving lasting loss of movement or sensation. Researchers have now identified a molecular “brake” that holds back that regrowth, and shown that releasing it helps nerves heal in mice.
Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, led by Dr. Hongyan Zou, found that a protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) suppresses axon growth after injury. Blocking AHR shifts neurons away from mere stress-management and toward repair — ramping up the protein production needed to rebuild damaged connections. The work was published in Nature.
What it did
In mouse models of both peripheral nerve damage and spinal cord injury, removing or inhibiting AHR improved recovery of movement and sensation. “By releasing this brake, we can push neurons into a state that favors repair,” the researchers said.
Why it matters
A promising practical angle: several AHR-inhibiting drugs are already in clinical trials for other conditions, which could shorten the path to testing them for nerve and spinal-cord injuries. The team plans to explore both drug-based and gene-therapy approaches that target AHR specifically in neurons. This is preclinical research, but it identifies a concrete, potentially druggable target for injuries that today have few effective treatments.