Scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne have made an important breakthrough in the field of spinal cord injury. Through the open-source project Tabulae Paralytica, the team combined cutting-edge cell and molecular mapping technology with artificial intelligence (AI) to depict the complex molecular processes unfolding in each cell after spinal cord injury in unprecedented detail. This groundbreaking study, published in a new issue of the journal Nature, not only identified a specific set of neurons and genes that play a crucial role in rehabilitation, but also paved the way for new therapies. The human spinal cord is one of the most complex biological systems known to the scientific community. It is the arrangement of different types of cells in mechanical, chemical, and electrical aspects. They coordinate their work, generate and regulate various neural functions, including the natural and elegant gait of humans. This cellular complexity increases the difficulty of effectively treating spinal cord injury. Understanding the reasons why spinal cord injuries are almost incurable can help clarify the importance of this breakthrough. So far, traditional imaging and mapping methods have provided an overall view of the cellular mechanisms of spinal cord injury. However, the lack of specificity blurs the different roles and responses of various cell types, hindering the development of targeted therapy. In the new study, the goal of researchers is to completely change people's biological understanding of spinal cord injury. The four cell atlases that make up Tabulae Paralytica provide an extremely detailed view of cellular and molecular dynamics in space and time of mouse spinal cord injury, filling a historic knowledge gap and paving the way for targeted treatment and accelerated recovery. Researchers say that this is a new understanding of the complex cellular dynamics of the spinal cord and will also open up related targeted gene therapies. (Lai Xin She)