Enlisting the immune system to fix broken spines

[Max]

Enlisting the immune system to fix broken spines

• 13:38 22 August 2006
• NewScientist.com news service
• Michael Day

A vaccination that stimulates immune cell production could be key to enabling people with serious spinal injuries to walk again, researchers say.
However, the study has been criticised by some experts in the neurological field who remain sceptical about the findings.
The controversial research claims come from a team at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, who say that key immune cells can work with stem cells to mend broken spines in mice.
Their latest study involved a vaccine that increased the numbers of immune cells, known as T-helper cells, that specifically protect myelin – a protein that coats nerve cells. The vaccine encouraged and protected stem-cells in the spine as they grew and become nerve cells, to such an extent that previously crippled animals were able to resume walking, they say.
However, the new claims have reignited a major controversy in neuroscience.
Significant involvement

Traditional theory suggests that the delicate central nervous system needs to be isolated from the heavy-handed cells of the immune system in order to function properly and affect repairs.
Michal Schwartz, who led the latest study, has spent the last 10 years working on a different theory: that a significant degree of immune system involvement is needed for the central nervous system to repair itself.
In February 2006, Schwartz published a study in Nature Neuroscience demonstrating that immune cells had an important role in nerve cell regeneration.
Non-invasive treatment

Now she reports that by boosting T-cells at the same time as injecting mice with stem cells that had partially differentiated into nerve cells, she was able to reverse severe spinal damage.
Injections of the stem cells without the T-cell-stimulating vaccine had little effect. Significantly, the myelin vaccine alone had more effect than simply injecting stem cells, she says.
The findings suggest that “immuno-supressive drugs should not be used” with future stem-cell therapy for spinal injuries, she says.


http://www.newscientist.com/article/...en-spines.html

[antiquity]

Originally Posted by Max

[B]
Injections of the stem cells without the T-cell-stimulating vaccine had little effect. Significantly, the myelin vaccine alone had more effect than simply injecting stem cells, she says.

Interesting. I wonder what type of stem cells?

[donz]

interesting, any other comments?

[TheRainman]

I would like to hear Dr. Youngs opinion. Thanks!