Human neural stem cell grafts can show neuronal differentiation in the normal and injured spinal cord of adult rats. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Neuralstem Inc, led by Vassilis Koliatsos, grafted neural stem cell grafts derived from spinal cord of a single eight week fetus, into the lower spinal cord of normal or injured immune deficient adult rats. As part of the differentiation, the researchers found that some of these cells grew axons (the long arms of nerve cells) and some were able to form cell to cell contacts (synapses) with motor neurons of the host rats. These results challenge previous assumptions that the spinal cord is unable to support the differentiation of neurons from stem cell grafts.>>> Discuss This Story
