Stem Cell Research, Part 2: Treatment for SCI/D

Researchers hit the Mother Lode when they discovered stem cells, which have remarkable abilities and many possible uses.

As discussed in Part I (May 2000) of this article on stem cell research, these uncommitted "mother" cells have the potential to develop into many different specific cell types, including bone marrow, nerve, and heart cells (see Figure 1), depending upon their environment.

Because stem-cell transplants for neurological disease are not yet a reality, it is not possible to know precisely how they might be used as treatments. However, stem cells from several different sources have begun to be evaluated for their ability to be changed into different cell types—including neurons and glial cells—and their ability to repair different types of damage to the nervous system.

The results from a few of these studies suggest that stem cells may ultimately be used to treat many different disorders of the nervous system, including degenerative diseases of the brain as well as SCI/D.

Melinda Kelley, Ph.D., is director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Research & Education Program, in Washington, D.C.