From a British study has shown that stem cells can repair the damage done to the myelin and cause the onset of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a serious disease caused by damage to myelin, a substance that surrounds the brain and nerves and spinal cord that modulates the messages transmitted from the brain to the rest of the body the disease, which currently remains incurable, causes problems of view, fatigue, pain and loss of mobility, all symptoms that worsen with age up to force the patient to a wheelchair.
For this group of researchers sought a way to repair damaged nerves: a new method stimulates the brain stem cells to repair damaged myelin. Many experiments have been conducted on laboratory mice and found that the myelin is repaired when the stem cells are injected with retinoic acid.
Simon Gillespie of the British Multiple Sclerosis Society said: “For people suffering from multiple sclerosis, this is one of the most striking developments of recent years. We are pleased to have invested in this research and today we are considering additional funding.” This study could also lead to the formulation of new drugs capable of repairing damaged nerves.
The study involved the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge and was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
