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October 03, 2005Stem cell hope for spinal injuries
Scientists in the U.S. have successfully used neural stem cells to regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue in mice, raising hopes that the technique could be used to treat disabilities caused by spinal cord injuries and human neurological disorders.
Within just nine days the mice showed marked improvement in their walking ability, according to the results of the study published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.....The transplanted stem cells developed into cells that restored myelin, a fatty layer that insulates nerve fibres and is crucial for maintaining electrical conduction in the central nervous system. The cells also formed new neurons that created synaptic connections with the mouse neurons...."We were excited to find that the cells responded to the damage by making appropriate new cells that could assist in the repair. This study supports the possibility that formation of new myelin and new neurons may contribute to recovery." CNN.com -MORE |