One Step Closer To Transplanting Stem Cells In The Brain

August 20, 2007

Stem cells transplanted into the brains of mice generate more numerous and more mature nerve cells if the brain cells called astrocytes are not activated. This discovery at the Sahlgrenska Academy is an important step forward for stem cell research.

The study was performed by a research team at the Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation at the Sahlgrenska Academy. The findings are being published in the journal Stem Cells.

Many see the transplantation of stem cells and activation of the body’s own stem cells as a promising future treatment for several neurological disorders.

“Intensive research is under way around the world to find ways to get stem cells to develop into the right kind of cells, to migrate through brain tissue to the right place and then survive. Even though much work remains to be done before patients benefit from this knowledge, our findings are an important step in that direction,” says Milos Pekny, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University in Sweden. (ScienceDaily)