Important stem cell discoveries

Lots of the basic science so far has been carried out using mice, and not all that information can be translated to understanding human stem cells. It will take much more research to translate findings from mice with an MS-like disease to people who have multiple sclerosis, but here are examples of early and exciting work.

Transplanting cells to replace damaged tissue is complicated in MS because there can be so many areas of damage. In Parkinson's disease, for example, it is possible to identify a target area in the brain for treatment. In MS, damage to myelin and nerve fibres tends to be widespread throughout the brain and spinal cord.

In 2003, scientists in Italy tested if neural precursor cells, taken from the adult brains of mice, could find their way to areas of damage in mice with an MS-like disease (called EAE), and if so, whether the cells had any effect on the disease.

Researchers injected neural precursor cells into the bloodstream of mice, and found that some cells migrated to damaged areas in the brain and spinal cord and were able to 'home in' on the damage. The scientists then found that some of the cells matured to become oligodendrocytes that made new myelin.
 

In 2005, a new research report by the same team suggests that the main benefit of transplanting neural precursor cells into the bloodstream is that they have an effect on immune cells, and this protects nerve fibres from damage.

The new study shows that, faced with inflammation, the transplanted cells appear to survive because they remain undifferentiated (unspecialised) and renew themselves. In this state, they are capable of destroying harmful inflammatory cells (T-cells) and that way protect the myelin and axons.