Stem cell breakthrough may guide spinal injury treatmentRSS Feed

02 March 2010

Scientists may soon be able to predict whether a stem cell will be suitable for use in spinal injury treatment or not, following a new research breakthrough.

Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have discovered a new method for predicting how stem cells will divide with 99 per cent accuracy.

The new technique uses advanced computer technology that detects subtle movements impossible to discern with the naked eye.

Professor Badri Roysam and colleagues can use the findings to forecast how a stem cell will develop and what characteristics the new cell will exhibit.

He said: "We believe this method will be beneficial for one day taking cells from a patient, and then growing large amounts of the kind of cells that patient is in need of.

"This could enable many new and exciting types of medical treatments using stem cells."

Recent research by scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Centre showed that movement could be restored in rats after genetically-modified stem cells were implanted into the spine.

The stem cells are thought to restore electrical pathways in a process called remyelination, with genetic modification believed to encourage the release of a protein that encourages nerve growth.

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