Source: Ivanhoe Newswire
Date: June 17, 2008
Summary:
Ivanhoe Newswire reports on a study in which adult stem cells were shown to stop the effects of aging, including muscle degeneration, in neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases:
"A recent study on mice shows stem cells may be able to stop the effects of aging on muscles, which could prevent conditions like muscle atrophy and Parkinson’s disease. Adult stem cells in muscles have a receptor called Notch that, when activated, tells them to grow and divide. As the body ages, this receptor’s activity is inhibited by the activity of another receptor for the protein TGF-beta. These two pathways -- one an aging pathway, one a youthful pathway -- compete for control of stem cell growth and division."
