Stem cell hope for spinal injuries - Oct 3, 2005
CNN.com - Stem cell hope for spinal injuries - Oct 3, 2005
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.
A lack of myelin, caused by either disease or injury, can cause motor and sensory disorders such as multiple sclerosis, and paralysis.
“This work is a promising first step and supports the need to study multiple stem cell types for the possibility of treating human neurological injury and disease,” said UC Irvine’s Dr. Aileen Anderson.
Report: New stem cell methods may avoid embryo destruction
Two new mouse experiments may show how to obtain human embryonic stem cells without ethical hurdles, a step that could allow federal funding for such research, scientists reported Sunday.
