FAU Study: Tiny Worm May Combat Chemo Neurotoxicity

Researchers use C. elegans to test potential treatments for chemotherapy-induced nerve damage

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Chemotherapy is a powerful cancer treatment, but it often comes with debilitating side effects like Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy that can dramatically impact patients' quality of life. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University used the tiny roundworm C. elegans to study the neurological effects of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel and test potential protective compounds like sildenafil citrate and Resveramorph-3 that showed promise in improving recovery from seizure-like behaviors in the worms.

Why it matters

Chemotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment worldwide, with an estimated 9.8 million people receiving first-line therapy each year. As the global cancer burden grows, there is an urgent need to better understand and address the side effects of these lifesaving treatments. This study demonstrates how model organisms can illuminate the mechanisms of complex neurological side effects and provide a practical platform for testing potential treatments to improve the effectiveness and tolerability of cancer treatment.

The details

The researchers used an electroconvulsive assay to simulate seizure-like behaviors in C. elegans and measure recovery times after exposure to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. They found that both short-term and long-term exposure to docetaxel significantly delayed recovery, paralleling the motor and sensory impairments seen in cancer patients receiving taxane chemotherapy. The team then explored two potential treatments - sildenafil citrate and Resveramorph-3 (RVM-3) - and found that both compounds significantly improved recovery in the worms. Sildenafil citrate appears to stabilize neuronal activity, while RVM-3 showed protective effects on nerve cells even after prolonged docetaxel exposure.

  • The study was published in PLOS One in February 2026.

The players

Ken Dawson-Scully

Senior author and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences within FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

Paola Ximena Gonzalez-Lerma

First author, staff scientist in R&D at Allosite Therapeutics, and an FAU Ph.D. graduate who worked in the Dawson-Scully laboratory at Nova Southeastern University.

Crystal Llyod

Study co-author from Nova Southeastern University.

Scarlet J. Park

Study co-author from Nova Southeastern University.

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What they’re saying

“This study shows that a tiny organism can reveal great insight about a widespread clinical problem.”

— Ken Dawson-Scully, Senior author and a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences within FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science (Mirage News)

“I was very excited by how clearly we could see the neurological effects of chemotherapy and measure recovery in real time. This platform lets us move quickly from observing nerve dysfunction to testing compounds that restore normal activity, all in a living system.”

— Paola Ximena Gonzalez-Lerma, First author, staff scientist in R&D at Allosite Therapeutics, and an FAU Ph.D. graduate (Mirage News)

What’s next

Using this platform, the research team plans to continue exploring potential treatments that could allow cancer patients to complete lifesaving chemotherapy while minimizing long-term neurological damage.

The takeaway

This study demonstrates how model organisms like the tiny roundworm C. elegans can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of complex neurological side effects from chemotherapy and offer a practical platform for rapidly testing potential neuroprotective treatments. The findings represent an important step toward interventions that could improve the effectiveness and tolerability of cancer treatment.