Stem Cells Form Pool in Developing Brain

[Max]

Stem Cells Form Pool in Developing Brain
By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - With the promise of stem cell research the
subject of much recent debate, scientists have new evidence that the
primitive cells may indeed help treat defects in the brain--at least those
that occur early in brain development.

In experiments in which human brain stem cells were injected into fetal
monkey brains, researchers found that the injected cells segregated
themselves, with some developing into more mature brain cells and others
being put aside--into what the scientists speculate are ``pools'' of stem
cells that the brain can use for later repairs.

``We found the stem cells we put in behaved in an orderly way...like real
stem cells,'' study co-author Dr. Curt R. Freed of the University of
Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver told Reuters Health.

He said the findings suggest that the same could occur if stem cells were
introduced to the human brain. According to Freed, this raises the
possibility of using stem cells to treat problems of early brain development
while a fetus is still in utero. He cited Tay-Sachs, a fatal genetic disease
of the central nervous system, as an example--although he stressed there is
no evidence that stem cells can treat the disease.

Freed and his colleagues report their findings in the July 26th issue of
Sciencexpress, the online edition of the journal Science.

Stem cells are the primitive cells that give rise to a range of body tissue.
Because of the potential to mature into a variety of other cells, they are
believed to hold promise in the treatment of degenerative
diseases--including disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer's. Freed added,
it is unclear what the current findings could mean for the treatment of such
diseases.

Because stem cells are can be derived from human embryos and aborted
fetuses, their use in research has garnered strong opposition. In the new
study, researchers used cultured cells originally derived from a human
fetus.

In the study, the investigators charted the course of the human brain stem
cells after they were injected into the brains of monkey fetuses. They found
that the cells separated into two basic populations: one in which the stem
cells formed mature brain cells called neurons and glial cells; and one in
which the stem cells clustered into various pools and remained in immature
form.

The scientists speculate that the fetal brains socked away this second group
of stem cells to be used, possibly, for ''lifelong self-repair.''

The study's authors note that in rodents, brain stem cells have been shown
to be ``well-suited'' for transplants to replace diseased cells.

``Our results suggest that this approach may similarly be feasible in large
primates and possibly humans,'' they conclude.

SOURCE: Sciencexpress 2001;10.1126

__________________________________________________ __
Maksim (Max) Bily
mail to : imax@odyssee.net
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