New Stem Cell Research Findings Could Lead to Cure of Spinal Cord Injuries, Brain Injuries, and ALS!

Many people have suffered from spinal cord and brain injuries, not to mention amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig disease, a debilitating disease characterized by muscle weakness in the arms and legs, followed by difficulty swallowing, talking, and breathing, (Dorland’s Medical Dictionary (DMD)). Eventually muscles become completely useless and the patient becomes a quadriplegic, (DMD). With all this said, scientists have discovered how to use stem cells to generate new nerve cells in the brain of mice.

Neuroscientists at Stanford Medical School Transplanted neurons (nerve cells) grown from embryonic stem cells and integrate them into the brains of mice, according to new research in the Jan. 20 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study states that healthy brains have stable and precise connections between cells that are necessary for normal behavior in animals, including human. This new finding is the first to show that stem cells can be directed to become specific brain cells. In fact, the stem cells not only become specific brain cells, but they link correctly, the research states. This is welcoming news for people suffering from neurological disorders, brain, or spinal cord injuries. Such discovery sets the stage for a possible cure of nerve-related diseases.

The research focused primarily on cells that transmit information from the cortex of the brain, including some that are responsible for controlling muscle movements. It is these nerve cells or neurons that are lost or damaged in spinal cord injuries and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to the study. These neuron-like stem cells can produce nerve fibers or nerve tissue between the cerebral cortex of the brain and the spinal cord, according to the research. This study therefore confirms the use of stem cells for medicinal use, (The Journal of Neuroscience).

In order to integrate new cells into the experimental brain successfully, the researchers first had to condition unspecialized stem cells to become specialize cells in the cerebral cortex of the brain. Stem cells that were precursors to brain-cortex nerve cells (neurons) were grown in a Petri dish until they displayed many of the same characteristics as mature nerve cells. The young nerve cells were then transplanted into the brains of newborn mice, specifically into regions of the brain’s cortex that is responsible for vision, touch, and movement, (The Journal of Neuroscience).

Such successful neurological transplantation was never possible before until now. The reason is that researchers would usually encounter major fundamental problems in nervous system transplant therapy or experiment. It is therefore a blessing to see an experiment of this nature successful.

Just as in the developmental stages of a brand new fetus when different types of precursor cells know exactly where they should go and what they should do, the experimental stem cells-induced neurons in this study perform their duties accordingly—extending to appropriate brain structures, while avoiding inappropriate ones. For instance, neuron-producing stem cells transplanted into the visual cortex of the brain reached two deep brain structures called the superior colliculus and the pons, but did not reach the spinal cord; on the other hand, neuron-producing stem cells placed into the motor of the cortex stretched into the spinal cord, but totally avoided the colliculus, according to the study. This feat is simply amazing in already fully developed animals. Granted, it is not unusual in newly developing fetuses; however, it is certainly next to impossible in fully developed animals, such as mice—and soon to be human.

This study is particularly incredible given that it was only one out of two techniques capable of growing transplanted stem cells that gave the desired result. That is to show us that it was not an easy task coming up with a successful experiment of this nature. It is therefore a huge advance in the use of these cells, (The Journal of Neuroscience).

The use of stem cells to develop nerve cells in mice is quite a feat that has never been done before. This discovery definitely set the stage for a possible cure for spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and ALS. Therefore, people who suffer from these ailments can be best assured that there could be relief in the not so distant future.