'Bionic' Nerve To Bring Damaged Limbs And Organs Back To Life
ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2007) — University of Manchester researchers
have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells - and now
plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and
organs back to life.
In a study published in October's Experimental Neurology, Dr Paul
Kingham and his team at the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration (UKCTR)
isolated the stem cells from the fat tissue of adult animals and
differentiated them into nerve cells to be used for repair and
regeneration of injured nerves. They are now about to start a trial
extracting stem cells from fat tissue of volunteer adult patients, in
order to compare in the laboratory human and animal stem cells.
Following that, they will develop an artificial nerve constructed
from a biodegradable polymer to transplant the differentiated stem
cells. The biomaterial will be rolled up into a tube-like structure
and inserted between the two ends of the cut nerve so that the
regrowing nerve fibre can go through it from one end to the other.
This 'bionic' nerve could also be used in people who have suffered
trauma injuries to their limbs or organs, cancer patients whose
tumour surgery has affected a nearby nerve trunk and people who have
had organ transplants.
With a clinical trial on the biomaterial about to be completed, the
researchers hope the treatment could be ready for use in four or five
years.
Dr Kingham said: "The differentiated stem cells have great potential
for future clinical use, initially for treatment of patients with
traumatic injuries of nerves in the arms and legs.
"This work will also help to develop a similar surgical approach for
organ transplant, to give full functional recuperation to the
transplanted tissue.
"Furthermore, the technique of artificial nerve grafting could also
be applicable when tumour mass has involved a nearby nerve trunk,
which consequently has to be excised together with the tumour, such
as the removal of a prostate tumour where damage to the nerve leads
to male impotence."
Director of the UKCTR, Professor Giorgio Terenghi said: "This new
research is a very exciting development with many future clinical
applications that will improve the lives of many different types of
patients and therefore many, many people.
"The frequency of nerve injury is one in every 1,000 of the
population - or 50,000 cases in the UK - every year.
"The current repair method - a patient donating their own nerve graft
to span the gap at the injury site - is far from optimal because of
the poor functional outcome, the extra damage and the possibility of
forming scars and tumours at the donor site. Tissue engineering using
a combination of biomaterials and cell-based therapies, while at an
early stage, promises a great improvement on that. Artificial nerve
guides provide mechanical support, protect the re-growing nerve and
contain growth factor and molecules favourable to regeneration. The
patient will not be able to tell that they had ever 'lost' their limb
and will be able carry on exactly as they did before."
He added: "The facilities available at the UKCTR have been developed
jointly by the University of Manchester and the North West
Development Agency, with exactly this aim - to provide the transition
from experimental research to new clinical treatment."
Adapted from materials provided by University of Manchester.
http://www.scienced
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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