A fresh energy supply may shield nerves from diabetic or chemo-induced neuropathy - NIH
National Institute of Health - Press Release
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Researchers demonstrate that transferring healthy mitochondria from support glial cells to nerve cells could reduce nerve pain and degeneration.
A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that conditions known to cause nerve damage, or neuropathy, disrupt a crucial energy-transfer process between special support cells called satellite glial cells (SGCs) and the sensory neurons they surround. The investigators discovered that the energy producing machinery of cells, known as mitochondria, are transferred through tiny tubes that form between the SGCs and neurons. They found that this transfer became obstructed in animal models of chemotherapy and diabetes, while restoring it attenuated pain behavior and promoted nerve regeneration after nerve injury.
The results of this study highlight a new avenue for potential neuropathy treatments and provide insight into how some of the body’s most energy-hungry cells are powered.
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