Adult stem cells in the brains of mice possess a broader differentiation potential than previously thought and may be capable of developing into other cell types including those involved in the formation of new blood vessels, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The finding could help resolve a critical question about these promising, but still mystifying cells.The report by Fred H. Gage, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, and Kumamoto University in Japan, appears in the July 15, 2004, issue of Nature.
