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Monday December 18 5:19 PM ET Growth Factor Draws Stem Cells to Brain Damage NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For the first time, researchers have shown that infusions of a growth factor into damaged areas of the brain can cause stem cells to migrate to the area and begin to function as mature cells, according to results of a study in rats. The findings suggest the growth factor, known as transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), may be useful in treating human disease, such as brain damage due to stroke or trauma, or degenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. However, much more study is needed to first replicate and confirm the results in animals, and then to determine if such a treatment is safe or effective in humans. In the study, Dr. James Fallon from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and colleagues induced damage in the front of adult rat brains by injecting a chemical called 6-OHDA. The researchers then infused TGF-alpha using a minipump implanted in the brain. Rats that received TGF-alpha at the same time as the 6-OHDA showed new cells migrating into the damaged area within 9 days of the initial damage, the authors report. Even rats that did not receive TGF-alpha until 14 days after the damage was done showed evidence of new cells migrating into the damaged region. Special microscopic studies proved that the migrating ridge of cells included both nerve cells and astrocytes, the cells that support them, according to the report published in the December 19th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. When it came to behavior, there was a 38% improvement in the TGF-alpha-treated rats compared with the untreated animals, the report indicates. ``This finding shows that it is possible to stimulate and control the growth, movement, and development of large numbers of stem cells to repair brain injury,'' Fallon said in a statement issued by UCI. However, results in rats are not necessarily applicable to humans. ``While a simple administration of TGF-alpha worked significantly with rats,'' Fallon cautioned, ``we still need to find out if other interacting factors like injury signals in the nervous system regulate the growth of stem cells and can be used to help restore function.'' The study was conducted in conjunction with researchers at Stem Cell Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company that manufactures TGF-alpha. Fallon is on the board of scientific advisors for the company. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Early Edition) http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001218/hl/brain_8.html