If it works on rats it will work on
us too, right? In this article, scientists tested stem cells on rats who had
been injured in their spinal cords. They used engineered tissue which contained
human stem cells, which resulted in rats showing some degree of healing in
their spinal cords. This alone demonstrates the potential we have for stem
cells in the future!
This experiment was led by Dr.
Shulamit Levenberg – he implanted human stem cells, which came from the lining
of the mouth, into rats with a complete spinal cord transection. The cells that
were induced here are supposed to differentiate into support cells that will
secrete factors for neural growth as well as survival. However, the work
doesn’t stop here. Once the stem cells are injected into the rats a
three-dimensional scaffold that provides an environment the stem cells could
attach, grow, and differentiate into support groups, was built. The results of
this experiment showed that the rats treated with the stem cells showed higher
motor sensory recovery compared to control rats. Three weeks after the
introduction of the stem cells 42% of the implanted rats showed an improved
ability to support weight on their hind limbs and were able to walk again and
75% of them responded to gross stimuli to the hind limbs and tail.
I personally feel this experiment
is a great start! Although it is not 100% promising, it’s a start and can lead
to great things for those that are paraplegic. It can give people hope that
they will on day walk again. But because it’s not 100% effective a lot of
research must be done before practicing on a human.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171116132800.htm
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/stem_cell
This is a really awesome study. I hope to see new advancements and technologies come out of this in the future. Stem cells I believe may be a huge advancement for medical technology and treatments, but the ethical problems surrounding them I fear will make them difficult to obtain.
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