Functional nerve cells generated from adult skin cells
Functional nerve cells generated from adult skin cells
Scientists at the University of Connecticut Health Center have successfully converted stem cells derived from the adult skin cells of four humans into region-specific forebrain, midbrain, and spinal cord neurons (nerve cells) with functions. The research is a key step toward realizing the cells’ potential to treat various neurodegenerative diseases.
The UConn team, led by Dr. Ren-He Xu, director of the Health Center’s Stem Cell Core facility, and Dr. Xuejun Li, a neural scientist in the Neuroscience Department, recently published a paper describing how they used cell reprogramming protocols to first transform the adult tissue into "induced pluripotent stem cells" that are all but identical to embryonic stem cells.
This involved treating the adult skin cells with a specialized culture that caused them to regress in their development to an embryonic-like “pluripotent” state, capable of differentiating into any of the many tissue types in the body. The researchers then exposed these reprogrammed human cells (hiPSC) to a series of chemical mixtures to drive them into becoming specialized neuronal cells........Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1826
MS-UK - http://www.ms-uk.org/
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 0 Replies
- 1310 Views
-
Last post by frodo
-
- 0 Replies
- 1286 Views
-
Last post by Petr75
-
- 0 Replies
- 1109 Views
-
Last post by Petr75
-
- 1 Replies
- 1039 Views
-
Last post by frodo
-
- 0 Replies
- 1845 Views
-
Last post by NHE
-
- 0 Replies
- 1682 Views
-
Last post by Firidion
-
- 0 Replies
- 2172 Views
-
Last post by frodo
-
- 0 Replies
- 799 Views
-
Last post by frodo
-
- 0 Replies
- 956 Views
-
Last post by frodo