A promising molecule against chemotherapy-induced neuropathies

Research
On  October 30, 2025
Currently incurable, peripheral neuropathies 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 part of l’Institut pour l'avancée des biosciences (IAB - CNRS/Inserm/UGA) 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.

 
Image au microscope montrant les petites terminaisons des nerfs dans la peau de la patte arrière d’un rat traité avec deux molécules : le paclitaxel, un médicament de chimiothérapie, et Carba1, une molécule qui protège les nerfs. Les fibres nerveuses (en
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).
© Science Advances/ David Balayssac 
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.
3. The start-up SAXOL was founded to bring this innovation to the clinic.

Article originally published on the CNRS website
Published on  October 29, 2025
Updated on  October 30, 2025