Science
P13K: Scientists discover Breakthrough in Nerve Regeneration
P13K Pathway
P13K may not sound like much, but its huge! Scientists have made a ground-breaking discovery that offers great potential for nerve regeneration after severe injuries and protection from heart failure.
A collaborative team of researchers from University College London (UCL) and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB) partnered with experts from AstraZeneca and successfully created a compound capable of activating a pathway known as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway, or P13K pathway, which is a remarkable enzyme that assists in controlling cell growth.
The chemical compound is called 1938, and it is incredible!
The study— published in the prestigious journal Nature—found that 1938 significantly increased the growth of nerve cells, reduced heart tissue damage after major trauma, and even successfully regenerated lost motor function.
The team evaluated the effects of the PI3K pathway using experiments on heart tissue and found that administering 1938 within the first 15 minutes of restoring blood flow following a heart attack provided significant protection to the affected tissue.
When heart attacks happen, the cardiac muscles that are affected become scar tissue, and that tissue makes it harder for the heart to function, increasing the possibility of heart failure afterward.
The chemical compound not only shows promise for reducing heart failure in the future, but the P13K activator can also potentially regenerate nerves!
Tests showed that the addition of 1938 to the injured nerve cells of a rat with a sciatic nerve injury resulted in a notable improvement in the recovery of the hind leg muscles where the injury took place, strongly indicating nerve regeneration.
The studies senior author and professor of regenerative medicine James Phillips emphasized the significance of this breakthrough by stating: “There are currently no approved medicines to regenerate nerves, which can be damaged as a result of injury or disease, so there’s a huge unmet need.”
The researchers also emphasized the importance of localized delivery methods to avoid off-target effects that have hindered the success of previous compounds, meaning that progress is in the pudding and that researchers will continue to expand on the 1938 chemical compound discovery.
IC Inspiration
It is mind-blowing to see how 1938 activates the P13K pathway and grows damaged muscle tissue from the heart after a heart attack. This compound can prevent future heart failures!
With renewed nerve cells come renewed possibilities for millions of people across the globe. Approximately 20 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from nerve damage. Imagine the quality of the future that awaits us as 1938 is further expanded on by these dedicated scientists.
There is still so much more to discover, but 1938 shows potential in restoring lost motor function, and this is absolutely incredible!
Very recently, a breakthrough in brain technology restored a Dutch man’s ability to walk by restoring the communication between the legs and the brain through a “wireless digital bridge.”
Elon Musk is also working towards using his brain-computer interface Neuralink to solve brain and spine injuries in a similar fashion, but both these incredible technologies require implants in the brain.
The thought of people having the ability to walk again through nerve regeneration is truly a wonderful thought because it would mean that there is no need for invasive surgery or implants in the brain that acts as a bridge for the brain and the neurons. The nerves instead begin to build that bridge themselves.
Imagine a future where injured nerves can heal and regenerate, offering hope and renewed possibilities for millions of people. We are now closer to that possibility than we have ever been in the history of humanity, and this reality is surely the motivational source that keeps these scientists going.