Culture and gene expression profiling of Schwann cells from human sural nerve.

A new protocol enables reliable culture and transcriptome profiling of human Schwann cells from small sural nerve biopsies, facilitating PNP research.

• Why it matters: Understanding Schwann cell dysfunction is crucial for unraveling the mechanisms of polyneuropathies, yet isolating these cells from limited patient samples has been challenging.
• What they did: The researchers developed a method to culture human Schwann cells from approximately 4-mm sural nerve biopsies and performed comprehensive transcriptome analysis to define their phenotype.
• The result: This approach produces reproducible, proliferative Schwann cell cultures that can be stored and expanded, providing valuable tools for diagnosis and further study of peripheral nerve diseases.