Posted on 08/19/2010 2:07:49 PM PDT by decimon
UCI study is first to show reversal of long-term hind-limb paralysis
A UC Irvine study is the first to demonstrate that human neural stem cells can restore mobility in cases of chronic spinal cord injury, suggesting the prospect of treating a much broader population of patients.
Previous breakthrough stem cell studies have focused on the acute, or early, phase of spinal cord injury, a period of up to a few weeks after the initial trauma when drug treatments can lead to some functional recovery.
The UCI study, led by Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, is significant because the therapy can restore mobility during the later chronic phase, the period after spinal cord injury in which inflammation has stabilized and recovery has reached a plateau. There are no drug treatments to help restore function in such cases.
The study appears in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE and is available online.
The Anderson-Cummings team transplanted human neural stem cells into mice 30 days after a spinal cord injury caused hind-limb paralysis. The cells then differentiated into neural tissue cells, such as oligodendrocytes and early neurons, and migrated to spinal cord injury sites. Three months after initial treatment, the mice demonstrated significant and persistent recovery of walking ability in two separate tests of motor function when compared to control groups.
(Excerpt) Read more at today.uci.edu ...
Ping
/s
seriously: Godspeed.
To the researchers. Progress here could mean everything to many people.
Too bad itll be rationed under obamacare.
Adult or embryonic? I read the article and couldn’t find where it said which.
The structure of language was confusing.
Couldn’t say.
Since the article identifies them as “neural” stem cells, that, to me, indicates that they are already developed and differentiated beyond the level of an embroyonic stem cell .... so they are adult.
Thank you. Okay! I’m all for it.
It would have been cheaper to buy the mice wheelchairs.
Et tu, Civ? ;-)
bump & stem cell/regenerative medicine ping
All PLoS, Public Library of Sciennce, articles are open access, i.e. FReebies, not just abstracts. The press release links the article. Thanks decimon!
BTTT
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.