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Stem cell therapy for spinal injury
February 13, 2005Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown how the transplantation of stem cells improves recovery from spinal injury. However, a painful condition can also develop, which can be prevented if the stem cells are supplemented with a certain gene that controls their maturing process. The results are important for planning of stem cell therapy trials on patients with spinal injury.
Spinal injury confines some 150 Swedes a year to wheelchairs. The damage cause the loss of movement and sensation below the level of injury. A research team at Karolinska Institutet has now shown using rat models that the introduction of stem cells following such injury is effective, although a double-edged sword: while on the one hand the injection of stem cells into the damaged area of the spine improves motor function (movement) inferior to the injury level, scientists found that the rats developed greater pain sensitivity just superior of it.
In a follow-up study, a special gene, neurogenin-2, was added to the stem cells while they were developing in culture. When stem cells containing this gene were transplanted into the damaged spinal cord, the adverse pain effects failed to appear while the enhancement of motor function improved. Sensory function (feeling) below the injury also clearly improved.
The aggravated sensitivity to pain was thought to be the result of the fact that many stem cells developed into astrocytes, a kind of glial cell that encourages the growth of pain axons in the spinal cord by secreting substances that stimulate neuronal development.
The researchers found that the presence of neurogenin-2, a "transcription factor" that regulates the activity of other genes during the stem cell maturing process, inhibited the development of astrocytes and encouraged the formation of oligodendrocytes, another type of glial cell that forms the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons. The small number of astrocytes that developed from the neurogenin-2-bearing stem cells corresponded to the lack of growth of pain axons. The greater number of oligodendrocytes that were produced by the neurogenin-2-bearing stem cells also corresponded to a greater volume of white substance, i.e. myelin coated nerve fibres, in the damaged area.
With the help of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), the team, working from KI's experimental MRI centre, has managed for the first time to demonstrate the return of sensory function following spinal injury. An advantage of the fMRI technique is that it can be used to compare results from animal and human studies if and when new therapies for the treatment of spinal injury can be tested on patients.
Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council)
The aggravated sensitivity to pain was thought to be the result of the fact that many stem cells developed into astrocytes, a kind of glial cell that encourages the growth of pain axons in the spinal cord by secreting substances that stimulate neuronal development.
The researchers found that the presence of neurogenin-2, a "transcription factor" that regulates the activity of other genes during the stem cell maturing process, inhibited the development of astrocytes and encouraged the formation of oligodendrocytes, another type of glial cell that forms the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons. The small number of astrocytes that developed from the neurogenin-2-bearing stem cells corresponded to the lack of growth of pain axons. The greater number of oligodendrocytes that were produced by the neurogenin-2-bearing stem cells also corresponded to a greater volume of white substance, i.e. myelin coated nerve fibres, in the damaged area.
With the help of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), the team, working from KI's experimental MRI centre, has managed for the first time to demonstrate the return of sensory function following spinal injury. An advantage of the fMRI technique is that it can be used to compare results from animal and human studies if and when new therapies for the treatment of spinal injury can be tested on patients.
Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council)
Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News RSSGene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
New research shows versatility of amniotic fluid stem cells
For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought.
First reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM* Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.
Bone Implant Offers Hope for Skull Deformities
A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon.
Your Own Stem Cells Can Treat Heart Disease
The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells.
Is hepatic differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines?
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure.
Paradoxical protein might prevent cancer
One difficulty with fighting cancer cells is that they are similar in many respects to the body's stem cells. By focusing on the differences, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found a new way of tackling colon cancer. The study is presented in the prestigious journal Cell.
U of M researchers find 2 units of umbilical cord blood reduce risk of leukemia recurrence
A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning.
The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine may also be detrimental for health
The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine is not always beneficial for human health, it may even be harmful according to a work done by the University of Granada and University of León. Scientists have demonstrated that transplantation of human mononuclear cells isolated from umbilical cord blood exerted a deleterious effect in rats with liver cirrhosis.
Penn Study Provides First Clear Idea of How Rare Bone Disease Progresses
An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, is taking the first step in developing a treatment for a rare genetic disorder called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), in which the body's skeletal muscles and soft connective tissue turns to bone, immobilizing patients over a lifetime with a second skeleton.
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