image: Microscope images showing fine nerve endings in the hind leg skin of rats following a treatment with two molecules: paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug, and Carba1, a molecule that protects the nerves. The nerve fibres (in green, indicated by white arrows) extend from the deep layers to the surface of the skin. Their number decreases significantly after treatment with paclitaxel, a chemotherapy drug known to damage nerves. However, these fibres are largely preserved when the neuroprotective molecule (Carba1) is administered at the same time as the paclitaxel.
Scale bar: 100 micrometres (µm).
Credit: © Science Advances/ David Balayssac
Currently incurable, peripheral neuropathies¹ are common neurological complications of chemotherapy, causing persistent pain, tingling and burning sensations in the feet and hands, sometimes even after treatment has ended. In the hope of offering a therapeutic option to affected patients, a research team led by a CNRS² researcher has identified a molecule capable of preventing the onset of such side effects.This molecule stimulates the production of a compound essential for cellular energy production, on which the survival of all our cells depends, and promotes the resilience of nerve cells to damage caused by chemotherapy treatments, such as paclitaxel. This mechanism is described in a study due to be published on the 29th of October in Science Advances.
Tested on cell cultures and on rodents, this newly discovered molecule has been shown to limit the degradation of nerve cells usually affected in the extremities, thereby reducing painful symptoms without altering the anti-tumour action. At a time when chemotherapy-related neuropathies affect 80% of patients and persist in nearly a quarter of them – often forcing a reduction in cancer treatment – this discovery offers real hope. Within a few years, the molecule will undergo clinical trials, the first step towards possible therapeutic application, once the regulatory preclinical stages have been validated3.
Notes
1 - Peripheral neuropathies result from nerve damage to the peripheral nervous system connecting the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.
2 - Part of l’Institut pour l'avancée des biosciences (CNRS/Inserm/Université Grenoble Alpes)
3 - The start-up SAXOL was founded to bring this innovation to the clinic.
Journal
Science Advances
Article Title
Preventing neuropathy and improving anticancer chemotherapy with a carbazole-based compound
Article Publication Date
29-Oct-2025