The Wonders of Stem Cells

        Earlier this semester, Dr. Ye spoke to us of how stem cell mediated remyelination could serve as a treatment for those recovering from spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries are one of the most damaging forms of trauma an individual can suffer. They can leave a person partially or completely disabled with few treatments available to alleviate the patient’s condition. One of the main causes of this ailment is from the demyelination of neurons, which leave the neurons unable to properly transmit electrical impulses. Dr. Ye and his team selectively injected stem cells into the spinal cords of mice with demyelinated neurons. They predicted the stem cells would differentiate into myelin sheaths and would allow the damaged spinal cords to regain some function. The results confirmed this. Stem cell injected mice showed a higher frequency of propagated action potential as well as lower refractory periods among the damaged neurons. This indicated some remyelination did occur and the mice gradually regained function. His research showed promise in helping to advance spinal cord injury treatment and eventually bringing these therapies into the clinical setting.
 
        Even more recently, researchers at the University of Dresden succeeded in using embryonic stem cells to grow an intact spinal cord inside a petri dish. This is a substantial achievement as it was not long ago that artificially growing neurons was thought to be impossible. The researchers utilized a property of stem cells known as self-directed morphogenesis in which they gave the stem cells a precise combination of nutrients in a three-dimensional scaffold to replicate the biological conditions under which they grow. With little interference, the cells began to differentiate into immature neurons. They secreted a key protein known as SHH that created a concentration gradient along the cells to allow them to differentiate further into the dorsal and ventral portions. The artificially grown spinal cord had its various cell types arranged in the correct order and was responsive to signals from molecules it would normally receive during development. These findings may prove critical to future studies investigating neural development as well as regenerative medicine.

        This research along with Dr. Ye’s findings demonstrates the critical role stem cells may have in shaping the future of biological research. Stem cells exhibit an incredible potential to enhance clinical therapies as well as provide unique insights into the development of biological structures. Both studies provide an excellent representation of the wonders that stem cell research can provide and further fuel this extraordinary area of research.

Citations:

Seminar Paper: Ye, H., Ruff, C., Legasto, J., Stribbell, N., Wang, J., Zhang, L., & Fehlings, M. (2013). Effects of Adult Neural Precursor-Derived Myelination on Axonal Function in the Perinatal Congenitally Dysmyelinated Brain: Optimizing Time of Intervention, Developing Accurate Prediction Models, and Enhancing Performance. The Journal of Neuroscience, 33(29), 1899 –1915.

News Article: Costandi, M. (2014, November 26). Scientists create lab-grown spinal cords. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2014/nov/26/lab-grown-spinal-cords