Two studies recently published in Cell Transplantation reveal that cell transplantation may be an effective treatment for spinal cord injury.
Researchers in Spain harvested ependymal progenitor cells (stem cells found in adult tissues surrounding the ependymal canal of the spinal cord) from rats. They found that these cells responded to a variety of compounds and through this they responded to adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is known to accumulate at the sites of spinal cord injury and cooperate with growth factors that induce repair.
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A second study, from a US/Egyptian team, showed that autologous (self-donated) bone marrow cells (ABMCs), when transplanted into dogs modeled with SCI, augmented the remyelination process and enhanced neurological repair of the damaged area.
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