Stem Cells Cure ALS-Like Disease
Many of you have read "Creatine Answers for ALS", describing how creatine may slow nerve cell death and strengthen the remaining muscle cells connected to the nerve. Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that offers a new ray of hope for ALS and related neurodegenerative disorders. (1)
The Journal told how Drs Gearhart and Kerr from Johns Hopkins University cured an ALS-like disease with a stem cell transplant.
To do this they paralyzed a group of rats by injecting a virus, which killed the spinal cord motor nerve cells that control muscles in the legs. Then they injected stem cells into the spinal fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. (Stem cells are primitive cells that have the potential to change into maturer cells e.g.: nerve and muscle cells)
Like homing pigeons these stem cells migrated through several layers of tissue into the injured spinal cord. They then replaced the dead nerve cells and began to function like normal nerve cells.
To everyone’s surprise the rats began to walk!
Dr. John D. Gearhart said “This kind of result is more than we could imagine.”
The importance of this experiment for the 20,000 people with ALS in the US alone, and various other neurodegenerative disorders is hard to exaggerate.
Needless to say, stem cell research is in its infancy. Many problems must be overcome before it can be used to treat these serious disorders, but surely this finding will excite and encourage many scientists in this new field.
Like good scientists Dr. Kerr is reluctant to offer patients false hope and says: “As heartbreaking as it is we’ve got to be really, really careful.” Nevertheless, the potential medical use of “smart” stem cell transplants that can home into injured or dying tissues and assume their critical cell function is mind boggling.
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1. JAMA April 4, 2001-Vol 285, 1691-1693
Lynn Myers MD is a pathologist and serves as Director of R&D for NuCare. To receive his free weekly health newsletter send an email to subscribe send a blank message to docjoc-on@mail-list.com.