Mouse tests show stem cells treat brain disease

Human stem cells taken from both embryos and fetuses delayed a fatal brain and nerve disease in mice, moving throughout the brain to take on the jobs of damaged neurons, scientists reported on Sunday.

They said their study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, represents the first time a human embryonic stem cell has successfully treated a disease in an animal.

Dr. Evan Snyder of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in La Jolla, California, who led the study, says his team hopes to move quickly to test their method in children with a fatal and incurable brain disease called Sandhoff disease....

whole article www.reuters.com

Related articles

Scientists find brain tumor protein link - U (21.7.2007)

Scientists find new stemcell source - Scientists in Scotland say they've discovered a way to harvest stem cells from non-viable embryos (22.6.2007)

Sex Of Stem Cells Found Important For Regenerative Medicine - Female stem cells derived from muscle have a greater ability to regenerate skeletal muscle tissue than male cells, according to a study at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (11.4.2007)

British researchers grow heart tissue from stem cells - British medical researchers have grown human heart tissue from stem cells in a breakthrough reported Monday that offers a possible solution to a shortage of donors for heart transplants (4.4.2007)

Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise For Rescuing Deteriorating Vision - For the millions of Americans whose vision is slowly ebbing due to degenerative diseases of the eye, the lowly neural progenitor cell may be riding to the rescue (30.3.2007)