Online edition of India's National Newspaper on indiaserver.com
March 22, 2001
Stem cells reverse damage
STEM CELLS in the brain were able to repair damaged areas and restore
function when stimulated by a growth- inducing protein, study by
researchers at UC Irvine's College of Medicine has found.
Study, conducted in rats shows that adult brain stem cells can develop
into nerve cells in adult animals, leading to replacement of damaged
brain tissue.
If the results can be replicated in humans, they may result in new and
natural stem-cell based treatments for stroke, nervous system and spinal
cord injury and diseases likeParkinson's and Alzheimer's that are marked
by degeneration of nerve cells. The study appeared in Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences.
James Fallon, professor of anatomy and neurobiology along with his
colleagues at UCI and researchers at Stem Cell Pharmaceuticals found
that injecting a human protein called transforming growth factor-alpha
(TGF-a) into damaged areas of the brain stimulated stem cells to
multiply, migrate and differentiate into a massive number of normal,
fully developed nerves.
These cells were then able to repair damage and restore the rats'
movement ability.
"The stem cells are already in the brain and other organs in small
numbers.
They can be stimulated in the brain to develop by a growth factor
without the need for transplanting stem cells, embryonic tissue or
altered cells from outside; instead, we've just stimulated cells that
are already there."
The researchers found that when they injected TGF - a into the
forebrains of rats, only those with damaged tissue showed signs of
significant cell division, cell migration toward depleted and damaged
areas, and specialization of cells into new cells in the brain.
The new cells appeared to be drawn into damaged areas, replacing
destroyed cells.
Scientists think that the process of stem-cell stimulation may occur
naturally to replace damaged brain tissue.
But when a large brain injury, stroke or degenerative disease like
Alzheimer's strikes, the brain's natural repair mechanism may not be
able to keep up with so much damage.
Adding more natural growth factors like TGF-a to damaged areas may
provide the necessary boost. Stem cells exist in relatively large
numbers in embryos but decrease dramatically just before birth and are
rare in the adult brain.
During development, stem cells divide, migrate to specific parts of the
body and develop into all specialized cells of the body, such as the
brain, liver, hair and skin.
All fully functioning cells ultimately arise from stem cells, which
researchers recently have been studying in order to harness the cells'
ability to develop into any of a large number of cells.
Copyrights © 2001 The Hindu & indiaserver.com, Inc.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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