This is the most exciting medical news I’ve heard in a very long time. Essentially, scientists have used stem cell growth technology to completely reverse brain damage in laboratory animals.
The implications for stroke victims, brain cancer patients, and those that have suffered paralysis due to brain or spinal cord injury are absolutely staggering. It’s hard to overstate how incredibly important this work could be. I’m excited, because both my mother and my sister in law have suffered debilitating strokes, and the thought that this research may (just may) help one or both of them is a very pleasant thought. I know the research time frame may be too long, but man, is it ever a step in the right direction.
OK, full caveat, I’m not a bio major, I have never even taken a college level course in biology. (I was busy with fizzy icks and comp sci.)
If I am reading this correctly, they are able to mobilize existing, or cause the body to create new stem cells to repair damage. This is definitely a tremendous advance over having to use adult or embrionic stem cells grown outside the body.
I really wish they’d mentioned more about the age of the lab animals used in the study, as they do mention that there are fewer and fewer stem cells available in the body as we get older.
That is cool. When our son was born (4/99), we were asked if we wished to donate his cord blood. It contains a lot of stem cells, and can be used to generate bone marrow.