Into the Stem Cell World

                                                                   


                                                             Stem Cells

 Stem Cells have always been a popular topic of conversation in medicine. The new information that is found everyday amplifies concerns. Trying to figure out how stem cells work calls for a whole new perspective. Stem cells play a big role in diseases and other health issues by being a solution and bringing hope to patients. According to "Science Daily," it has been noted that, "transplantation of Stem Cells is a potential clinical therapy for repair and regeneration of injured spinal cord" (Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine). Unfortunately, the survival rate for these transplanted cells is low because the cells are vulnerable to apoptosis. The lack of adequate growth factor plays a big role in determining if the transplanted cells will survive or die. "We've shown for the very first time that Biphasic Electrical Stimulation (BES) may provide insight into preventing growth factor deprivation-triggered apoptosis in olfactory bulb neural precursor cells (OB NPCs)," said Yubo Fan, professor of Biological Science and Medical Engineering at Beihang and senior author. BES can be used to improve cell survival which can ultimately lead to restoring the functions lost due to spinal cord injury. For the most part, "how BES precisely regulates the survival of exogenous stem cells is still unknown" (Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine). But knowing that BES can improve the survival of neural precursor cells gives patients hope. As seen in this article, transplanted stem cells are giving hope to patients because the higher their chances of survival means the more possible it is to recover from spinal cord injuries. 

This article relates to the presentation we had in our neuroscience seminar class about Ionic Mechanisms of Steam Cell Migration and Differentiation in DC Electric Field. Studies done were similar to one another. In the article above, there was more of an emphasis on the survival rates of the transplanted cells, whereas in the presentation we saw in class there was more of an emphasis on the electric field approach to the spinal cord and brain injury. In the first case stem cells were transplanted in injured spinal cord. They showed that there was weak signaling in the action potentials. If there was a cyst or scar present in damaged tissue then it prevented regeneration of cells. If one neuron fails to target another neuron, it often messes up the entire process. The brain and spinal cord damage complex communication by electric impulses rather than simple anatomic changes. The ultimate goal of the research is galvanotaxis which is the movement of organisms in a particular direction in response to an electric current. Their trying to get the neurons to move through the electric field, so they can get the cells to go where the cells are needed to go. The results of this study were that the undifferentiated NPC's migrated in electric field while dependent on intracellular calcium. The electric field favored neuronal differentiation. 


Resources: 
Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. "Biphasic electrical stimulation: A strategy may bring hope to spinal cord injury patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 August 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130824131608.htm>.