The researchers caused the cells to produce new nerve cells, after inserting a gene into them. The new cells have already successfully partially repaired the spinal cord of rats - but the road to treating humans is still long
Scientists have succeeded in producing nerve cells found in the spinal cord in the laboratory. The production of nerve cells has long been one of the main challenges of neurologists, and it can help treat a long list of nerve diseases.
As part of the study, published in the March issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, the scientists used the neurons they produced to partially repair the spinal cord of laboratory animals. Doctors emphasize that there is still a long way to go before experiments are carried out on humans who suffer from damage to the spinal cord.
The team of researchers, from the University of Rochester in the USA, inserted into the cells that produce nerve cells a gene that allows them to divide without limitation. When the "treated" cells were injected into the spinal cords of laboratory rats, they quickly replaced damaged nerve cells in their spinal cords. Another important finding in the study is that after about a month the cells stopped dividing, so the rats in the experiment were not found to be at particular risk of cancer.
