Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: October 15, 2006
Summary:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that transplanting human stem cells into spinal cords of rats bred to duplicate Lou Gehrig's disease delays the start of nerve cell damage typical of the disease and slightly prolongs life. The grafted stem cells develop into nerve cells that make substantial connections with existing nerves and do not themselves succumb to Lou Gehrig's, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Commentary: While this finding is not a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease, it might provide with new ideas and a new understanding about how stem cells might be applied to the disease, first in animals, and hopefully later, in humans.
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