Worms provide nerve insight
The humble roundworm, shown here stained so that the nuclei of its cells are highlighted, could help researchers better understand how human nerves develop and degenerate. Image: PLoS/Wikimedia Australian and US scientists have developed a new technology for studying the genetics of a common roundworm used to understand nerve development and nerve degeneration.Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) scientists at The University of Queensland (UQ) in Brisbane, Australia have worked closely with researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, to develop the technology.The work will allow neuroscientists working with the small nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), to study the genetics of its development and neurobiology in greater detail.It is hoped that the findings in these animals can be applied to higher organisms, such as humans.QBI scientists are working on conditions for which there are currently no cures, such as diseases of the brain, spinal cord injuries, and stroke.Dr Hang Lu of...