USING STEM CELLS TO CURE DISEASES: Israeli scientists have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using embryonic stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The findings could lead in the long term to a significant breakthrough in the treatment of neural and behavioral birth defects, such as learning disabilities, which are particularly difficult to treat. Unlike neural disorders such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, the prenatal teratogen – the substances that cause the abnormalities – act diffusely in the fetal brain, resulting in multiple defects. A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem-Hadassah Medical led by Prof. Joseph Yanai, were able to overcome this obstacle in laboratory tests with mice, by using mouse embryonic neural stem cells. These cells migrate in the brain, search for the deficiency causing the defect, and then differentiate into becoming the cells needed to repair the damage. Stem cells may develop into any type of cell in the body, however at a certain point they commit to a general function, such as neural stem cells, destined to play a role in the brain or nervous system. At more advanced developmental stages, the neural stem cells take on an even more specific role as neural or glial (supporting) cells within the brain or nervous system.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 12:55:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015