{"id":3679,"date":"2025-04-12T09:54:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T09:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3679"},"modified":"2025-04-12T09:54:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T09:54:53","slug":"hkust-researchers-unveil-breakthrough-model-for-cns-injury-repair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=3679","title":{"rendered":"HKUST Researchers Unveil Breakthrough Model for CNS Injury Repair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A team led by Prof. LIU Kai at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a novel intracranial optic tract injury model, shedding light on how functional neural circuits can be reconstructed after central nervous system (CNS) damage. Published in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-025-57445-x\"><em>Nature Communications<\/em>&nbsp;<\/a>in March 2025, this research offers hope for improving recovery from neural injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The adult mammalian CNS struggles to repair itself after injury, largely due to the difficulty of regenerating axons and reestablishing functional connections. Current research has focused on promoting axonal regeneration, but achieving functional recovery remains a challenge. To address this, Prof. Liu\u2019s team created the pre-OPN OTI model, which involves precise microsurgery to injure retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons near the pre-olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This innovative model avoids the complexity of traditional methods by eliminating the need for cortical tissue removal and positioning the injury site close to the target nucleus. The team used the pupillary light reflex (PLR) to measure functional recovery and observed high survival rates of RGCs, enabling long-term study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Knocking out the\u00a0<em>Pten\/Socs3<\/em>\u00a0genes in RGCs while expressing CNTF significantly boosted axonal regeneration and synapse reformation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Super-resolution and electron microscopy confirmed the reestablishment of synaptic connections.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trans-synaptic viral tracing and electrophysiological recordings validated restored neural transmission.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The intrinsically photosensitive RGCs (ipRGCs) were identified as critical for functional recovery, with regenerated axons reconnecting to their original targets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To further improve outcomes, the team proposed a dual strategy: enhancing axonal regeneration and synaptic activity. By targeting the lipid metabolism gene&nbsp;<em>Lipin1<\/em>&nbsp;and overexpressing melanopsin, they reduced PLR recovery time from six to three months and optimized synaptic signaling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pre-OPN OTI model provides a powerful tool for studying CNS repair, highlighting the importance of specific neuronal subtypes and dual-intervention approaches. This research not only advances our understanding of neural regeneration but also paves the way for targeted therapies for CNS injuries and neurodegenerative conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team led by Prof. LIU Kai at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a novel intracranial optic tract injury model, shedding light on how functional neural circuits can be reconstructed after central nervous system (CNS) damage. Published in&nbsp;Nature Communications&nbsp;in March 2025, this research offers hope for improving recovery from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1093],"tags":[1433],"class_list":["post-3679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-neuroscience","tag-neuroscience"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3680,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions\/3680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}