Source: University of Minnesota
Posted: February 16, 2006
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered a new population of cells in human umbilical cord blood that have properties of primitive stem cells. The new findings identify a small population of cord blood cells with the characteristics of more primitive stem cells that have the potential to produce a greater variety of cell types.
This research was published in the latest issue of the journal Stem Cells and Development.
Transplantation of these human cord blood stem cells into laboratory rodents with experimental strokes resulted in significant reductions in the size of brain lesion, and improved these animals' use of their limbs. Some of the transplanted stem cells developed into "neuron-like" cells that are typically found in the brain.
Stroke is a neurological disorder that affects nearly 750,000 people in the United States each year. It can occur because of clots that form in blood vessels in the brain, or because of blood vessel rupture.
Commentary: Hopefully these findings willl lead to improved treatments for strokes and neurological disorders.
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