Tree Restoration

Will scientists soon be able to rebuild damaged organs? This bonsai-like structure is actually part of a salivary gland that has survived radiation treatment: a therapy for cancer that causes damage our bodies normally can’t repair. In particular, radiation destroys the nerves that instruct the gland to produce saliva. They die off and are often not replaced, leaving patients with a dry mouth, oral infections and difficulty eating. Here, researchers have identified a protein that safeguards the nerves (stained red) during radiation treatment allowing them and the surrounding gland tissue (stained green) to regenerate. The potential use of this protective protein is not confined to the mouth since similar nerves are found in many different organs. This research was done in mice but if the mechanism in humans is comparable perhaps radiation treatment for future generations will be less hazardous.

Written by Julie Webb

Julie Webb

Writer

Julie began her career as a researcher in genetics. In 2000 she won a Wellcome Trust award for her work on a collaborative science drama, staged at the Edinburgh Festival. She now works as a freelance science writer and communicator.

• Matthew Hoffman
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, USA
• Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Communications Copyright 2013
• Published in Nature Communications 4: 1494