# Cambridge Lab-Grown Brain-Spinal Cord Model Hints 'Irreversible' Nerve Damage Could Be Reversed With an Existing Hormone Drug

*2026-05-29 14:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> Cambridge scientists grew a human brain-spinal cord model where nerves regrew and an existing hormone drug boosted repair, hinting that 'irreversible' nerve damage may be reversible.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, led by Dr Andras Lakatos, have grown a miniature human brain-and-spinal-cord system from patient stem cells in which nerve fibers bridged the gap between two organoids to form a working circuit, one that even triggered tiny muscle contractions. Published in Cell Reports, the model offers a rare human-tissue window into how the connections that control movement form and fail.

The team found that axons could regrow after damage only up to around day 150 of development, the mid-trimester equivalent, after which a genetic 'switch' sharply restricts regeneration. Screening drug databases, they identified lynestrenol, an existing hormone medication used for menstrual disorders and contraception, which markedly boosted nerve-fiber regrowth in damaged neurons.

The finding challenges the long-held view that nerve damage in the central nervous system is permanent, suggesting paralysis from spinal cord injury might one day be at least partly reversible by reactivating the body's own dormant repair pathways. Because the model is built from human cells, it could also speed testing of treatments that have repeatedly failed to translate from animal studies.

## Sources

- [cam.ac.uk](https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/lab-grown-brain-spinal-cord-model-shows-irreversible-nerve-damage-may-be-reversed)
- [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260528082459.htm)
- [medicalxpress.com](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-lab-grown-brain-spinal-cord.html)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1735-cambridge-lab-grown-brain-spinal-cord-model-hints-irreversible-nerve-damage
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1808-laboratorne-vypestovany-model-mozku-a-michy-z-cambridge-naznacuje-ze-nevratne