GAP tackles one of neuroscience’s toughest challenges: re-programming the regeneration of axons, the specialized projections of neurons that transmit signals to other cells.  Constructing the nervous system entails telling some axons where to grow while others were not to go. If the instructions for axon navigation are not appropriate, the subsequent establishment of functional neural circuits is not possible. Current technologies do not allow this level of control.

The project introduces an innovative solution: using macromolecular nano-switches to engineer neurons and provide them with a molecular roadmap, effectively re-programming and guiding their regrowth. This pioneering approach could open new therapeutic avenues for spinal cord injuries, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative diseases.