Hold back stem cells to repair spinal cord

Posted : Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:01:11 GMT
By : IANS
Category : Health
News Alerts by Email ( click here )
Health News | Home
New York, Nov 13 - A new study has identified what may well be a key first step towards the regeneration of nerve cells after spinal cord injury, using the body's own stem cells.

The study, by a multi-university team of researchers, has mapped the body's reaction to spinal injury -- information that could lead to novel ways of repairing previously irreversible nerve damage in the spinal cord.

The findings of the study have been published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

The study sought to answer a question that has intrigued the medical fraternity for long: why, unlike other organs, is the adult nervous system unable to repair itself following spinal injury?

The researchers, led by Philip Horner, sought an answer in the role of stem cells.

'Because of their regenerative role, it is crucial to understand the movements of stem cells following brain or spinal cord injury,' said Horner. 'We know that stem cells are present within the spinal cord, but it was not known why they could not function to repair the damage.'

The surprising answer: stem cells actually migrate away from the lesion in a spinal cord injury.

Trying to find why they do so, Horner's team tested numerous proteins and identified netrin-1 as the molecule for driving stem cells away from the injury, preventing them from replenishing the nerve cells.

'When we blocked netrin-1 function, the adult stem cells remained at the injury site,' said Tim Kennedy, co-leader of the team.

'This is a critical first step towards understanding the molecular events needed to repair the injured spinal cord and provides us with new targets for potential therapies.'


(c) Indo-Asian News Service

Share/Save/Bookmark

Article : Hold back stem cells to repair spinal cord
Print this article
Email this article

Stay Updated
News gadget on your Google homepage
Subscribe to a news feed in Google Reader


Related News

Ukraine government: Flu still spreading, but situation stabilising
Kiev - The number of deaths and infections from flu were still rising in Ukraine on Monday, as government officials argued the outbreak was showing signs of stabilizing. Today we clearly had certain positive signs of a reduction in the flu infection...

Nose spray boosts memory while you nap
Hamburg - A new nasal spray boosts short-term memory while you sleep, according to a team of German scientists at a sleep research lab. In a research report in The FASEB Journal, the researchers show that a molecule from the body's immune system (int...

Babies without dads think differently
Hamburg - The brains of babies raised without fathers may be wired differently than those of babies raised by both parents, according to findings by German scientists working with rodents. Fatherless rodent babies exhibit significantly different ne...

Seasonal flu and its symptoms
Hamburg - A seasonal influenza infection can be recognized by a classic progression through a series of symptoms typically starting with a high fever, pain in the limbs, headache and a feeling of general malaise and exhaustion. It then progresses to ...

Spotting the signs of depression
Cologne, Germany - Signs of depression are often physical in nature and include weight loss, insomnia, inexplicable pains, constipation and loss of libido, according to Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). It said th...

US House passes major health reform - Summary
Washington - The US House of Representatives passed a landmark health reform bill aimed at cutting costs and extending coverage to Americans who lack insurance. The House vote late Saturday marked the biggest victory yet for President Barack Obama's ...

House passes major health reform - Update
Washington - The US House of Representatives late Saturday passed a landmark health reform bill aimed at cutting costs and extending coverage to Americans who lack insurance. The House vote marked the biggest victory yet for President Barack Obama's ...

Have your Say
Name
Email
Subject
Your Comment

Enter Verification code
 
  

 

 
Your Comments

Hurray
By: LB , Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:19:19 GMT

am glad to see a problem solving unilateral approach to this problem instead of the singular research normally conducted globally. bring on a cure! i ama getting bored sitting down all day!



More Health News click here
Follow The Earth Times
Subscribe to RSS Follow Earth Times on TwitterNews by email
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
 



 
Subscribe to free Earthtimes
News Alerts by Email Click here
For RSS Feeds Click here
or Create your own RSS

Add to Google Toolbar
Breaking News
Press Releases

 


The Earth Times
News Category

© 2009 www.earthtimes.org, The Earth Times, All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
Earth Times accept no responsibility or liability either directly or indirectly for views or opinions expressed in articles or comments.