Results of a recent study by Australian researchers suggest that nerve damage caused by multiple sclerosis (MS) could be repaired using stem cells obtained from the patient’s bone marrow. Bruce Brew and colleagues at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney injected stem cells obtained from both mice and humans into the brains of mice with MS-like nerve damage. Results of the experiment showed that the injected stem cells homed in on areas of recent damage, and turned into myelin-producing oligodendrocytes. Myelin is needed for nerve signalling and the symptoms of MS are caused by its progressive destruction. While it is not yet certain whether the new oligodendrocytes are able to carry out enough repair work to relieve MS symptoms, Brew says that his findings suggest that patients “could conceivably have their deficits partly or wholly reversed.”
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by NewScientist.com on the 21st January 2003
