New stem cell that could repair spinal injury discoveredRSS Feed

Scientists at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto have identified a stem cell in the skin that can generate non-skin cell types, and are using this in spinal cord injury research.

Researchers discovered that a group of cells called skin-derived precursors (SKPs) act as the dermal stem cells and participate in the healing of wounds.

Stem cells can develop into many different cell types and can repair many tissues in the body by dividing and replenishing other cells.

"Understanding the regeneration of the dermis is very important in understanding how wounds heal," said Dr Freda Miller, the study's principal investigator, a senior scientist at SickKids and professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto.

"If we can understand wound-healing, then we can address the many conditions and diseases that involve wounds that don't repair themselves."

The study was published in a recent edition of the December 4th issue of Cell Stem Cell.

Earlier this month Geron Corporation announced that it has been given clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration to continue the world's first human clinical trial of a human embryonic stem cell-based therapy: GRNOPC1 for acute spinal cord injury.

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