Stem cells used to reverse paralysis in animals
January 28th, 2009 in Medicine & Health / Research
A new study has found that transplantation of stem cells from the
lining of the spinal cord, called ependymal stem cells, reverses
paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries in laboratory tests.
The findings show that the population of these cells after spinal
cord injury was many times greater than comparable cells from healthy
animal subjects. The results open a new window on spinal cord
regenerative strategies. The study is published in the journal Stem
Cells.
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The transplanted cells were found to proliferate after spinal cord
injury and were recruited by the specific injured area. When these
cells were transplanted into animals with spinal cord injury, they
regenerated ten times faster while in the transplant subject than
similar cells derived from healthy control animals.
Spinal cord injury is a major cause of paralysis, and the associated
trauma destroys numerous cell types, including the neurons that carry
messages between the brain and the rest of the body. In many spinal
injuries, the cord is not actually severed, and at least some of the
signal-carrying nerve cells remain intact. However, the surviving
nerve cells may no longer carry messages because oligodendrocytes,
which comprise the insulating sheath of the spinal cord, are lost.
The regenerative mechanism discovered was activated when a lesion
formed in the injured area. After a lesion formed in the transplant
subject, the stem cells were found to have a more effective ability
to differentiate into oligodendrocytes and other cell types needed to
restore neuronal function.
Currently, there are no effective therapies to reverse this disabling
condition in humans. However, the presence of these stem cells in the
adult human spinal cords suggests that stem cell-associated
mechanisms might be exploited to repair human spinal cord injuries.
Given the serious social and health problems presented by diseases
and accidents that destroy neuronal function, there is an ever-
increasing interest in determining whether adult stem cells might be
utilized as a basis of regenerative therapies.
"The human body contains the tools to repair damaged spinal cords.
Our work clearly demonstrates that we need both adult and embryonic
stem cells to understand our body and apply this knowledge in
regenerative medicine," says Miodrag Stojkovic, co-author of the
study. "There are mechanisms in our body which need to be studied in
more detail since they could be mobilized to cure spinal cord
injuries."
Source: Wiley
http://www.physorg.
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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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