What if the key to repairing damaged spinal cords was hidden inside a tiny, microscopic worm?
Dr. Ramon Martinez-Marmol is exploring an extraordinary discovery: these resilient creatures can do something humans cannot — repair their own severed neurons.
“These tiny champions have this extraordinary ability to repair their neurons,” explains Dr. Martinez-Marmol. “When we cut their neurons, the animals fuse them back together and they start responding again.”
From one solution to hundreds of possibilities
The implications could be revolutionary. Dr. Martinez-Marmol’s team at The Queensland Brain Institute, UQ, isn’t just studying worms, but expanding their search for similar repair mechanisms in other organisms to create tools that could one day help human neurons reconnect after injury.
“We’re extracting this machinery from worms, viruses, and plants to create useful tools that can repair neurons in humans,” says Dr. Martinez-Marmol. “This moves us from one potential solution to hundreds of different possibilities.”
The project aims to develop molecular “fusogens” — specialised proteins that can help reconnect severed neurons. Similar to how CRISPR gene-editing technology was adapted from bacterial immune systems, revolutionising genetic research, these fusogens could become a new technology platform for treating spinal cord injuries.
“I see this as providing an initial ‘glue’ that helps individual neurons reconnect at the molecular level,” Dr. Martinez-Marmol explains, as he interlaces fingers on both hands as a visual reference. “This could give damaged nerves a foundation to regrow and reconnect.”
Building a scientific community for spinal cord research
This groundbreaking research focuses on the critical acute phase of spinal cord injuries, when intervention can preserve function and prevent further damage. We now know that the sooner treatment is administered after injury, the better the potential outcome.
Working alongside treatments like neurostimulation, these molecular fusion technologies could become part of a comprehensive approach to spinal cord injury recovery, helping to preserve and restore neural connections that control movement, sensation, and vital functions.
“Researching spinal cord injuries is still in its infancy in Australia,” explains Dr. Martinez-Marmol.
Dr. Martinez-Marmol’s project is not just about scientific discovery, it’s about building a scientific community dedicated to spinal cord injury research. The project is creating a foundation that will attract more scientists, inspire collaboration, and accelerate progress toward clinical trials.
“I want to base my work on solid research discoveries so that I can inspire clinicians, patients and their families to start the translation of this research to the clinic. There is still much to do to create that critical number of professionals necessary to attract more people to this field, to bring brighter minds to work together to find a cure.”
Ramon is the well-deserved recipient of the 2025 I.Peter Farrell SpinalCure Fellowship. Find out more.