Stem cell treatment can be said to be a medical wonder worthy of the 21st century, as it does amazing stuff such as bringing sight to the blind. Well, there is a group of researchers over at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who were able to make use of human embryonic stem cells so that this will eventually repair brain damage suffered in mice. This particular study saw researchers implant human stem cells into the brains of mice. In the first place, these mice were genetically altered so that they ended up with brain damage right from the get go, in order to not reject transplant cells from other species.
When the human stem cells were in the brain, they eventually morphed into a couple of common types of neurons which will eventually bring healing to such neurological defects. Once the stem cell transplant was complete, the mice managed to score significantly better compared to cognitive and memory tests. This is definitely a step forward in stem cell therapy, but it still does not hold any key to unlock the issue of conditions like Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome and traumatic brain damage. It might still be the seed for what would eventually be effective drug therapies.
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