Nerve cells growing along fibres (purple) produced from a specially modified silk,
very similar to that made by spiders and silkworms. The supporting Schwann cells, whose nuclei are shown in blue, attach to the fibres and support the growth of the nerve cells. This system is being looked at as a possible treatment for damaged nerves and, in the long term, spinal cord damage.
Confocal micrograph by John Priestley.
B0006121

See also

How bioactive scaffolds might be used to repair failing body tissue ('Wellcome Science' feature, 3 January 2006)