Psychedelic Drug May Protect Cancer Patients From Nerve Damage

Scientists have found that a psychedelic drug called psilocybin might protect cancer patients from nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a common treatment that kills cancer cells, but it can also hurt the nerves in patients' hands and feet. Researchers shared their findings in the journal Science on September 4, and say the results could lead to new ways to help people going through cancer treatment.

Nerve damage from chemotherapy is called peripheral neuropathy. It can cause pain, numbness, and extra sensitivity to cold temperatures. These problems often stick around long after treatment is over, and doctors currently have very few ways to stop them from happening.

Researchers tested psilocybin on mice before they received chemotherapy. The mice that got two doses of the drug did not develop sensitivity to cold, kept their sense of touch, and their nerve endings stayed healthy. Best of all, the drug did not stop the chemotherapy from fighting the cancer.

Scientists found that psilocybin works by connecting to special proteins on the surface of nerve cells called serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. These proteins seem to help protect the nerves from damage. The researchers also found that psilocybin helped protect tiny structures inside nerve cells called mitochondria, which act like energy factories that chemotherapy drugs often harm.

Dr. Moran Amit from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center led the study. He said there is an urgent need for treatments that keep nerves safe without interfering with chemotherapy. His team's work is now the starting point for a new medical trial that will test psilocybin in cancer patients to see if the same results happen in people, not just in mice.

The second study focused on a type of bacteria called Clostridioides difficile, or 'C. diff' for short. In adults, C. diff can cause serious problems like severe diarrhea and dangerous swelling of the colon. About half a million people in the United States get infected each year, and around 30,000 of those cases are fatal.

Doctors have long known that 40% to 90% of babies in wealthy countries carry C. diff in their intestines. Because babies never seemed to get sick from it, doctors did not worry much about it. Now, a new study suggests that assumption may have been wrong.

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia studied mice and looked at tissue samples from human babies. They found that C. diff can quietly change the lining of a baby's gut, even when the baby shows no signs of being sick. It also changes how the immune system in the intestines develops, which could have lasting effects.

Study leader Joseph Zackular asked a key question: does having no symptoms really mean there is no harm being done? His team's research suggests the answer may be no. Co-author Kathryn Hamilton explained that a baby's gut is still forming, so C. diff does not just injure it — it can change how the tissue develops, and those changes might last into adulthood.

The researchers say more studies are needed to understand the long-term effects of C. diff on babies. They are also working on the idea of a vaccine that pregnant mothers could receive to protect their newborns, similar to vaccines already used against RSV and whooping cough. Both studies are early-stage findings, but scientists say they open exciting new doors for protecting human health.