Public release date: 28-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Masatoshi Suzuki msuzuki@vetmed.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin-Madison MADISON, Wis. Transplantation of human stem cells in an experiment conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison improved survival and muscle function in rats used to model ALS, a nerve disease that destroys nerve control of muscles, causing death by respiratory failure. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is sometimes called "Lou Gehrig's disease." According to the ALS Association, the condition strikes about 5,600 Americans each year. Only about half of patients are alive three years after diagnosis. In work recently completed at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, Masatoshi Suzuki, an assistant professor of comparative biosciences, and his colleagues used adult stem cells from human bone marrow and genetically engineered the cells to produce compounds called growth factors that can support damaged nerve cells. The researchers then implanted the cells directly into the muscles of rats that were genetically modified to have symptoms and nerve damage resembling ALS. In people, the motor neurons that trigger contraction of leg muscles are up to three feet long. These nerve cells are often the first to suffer damage in ALS, but it's unclear where the deterioration begins. Many … Continue reading →

May 28, 2013 redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online More than half of the seriously disabled stroke victims participating in preliminary clinical trials of a new stem cell procedure have shown modest signs of recovery, the scientists carrying out the research reported Monday. According to Sam Marsden of The Telegraph, five out of the nine ischemic stroke patients taking part in the PISCES trial were able to regain some movement in their hands and legs after undergoing the procedure, in which stem cells were injected directly into the damaged parts of their brains. The patients showed mild to moderate improvement in their conditions after receiving injections of the ReNeuron Groups ReN001 stem cell therapy, Marsden explained. Some of the patients were able to move their fingers again after several years of complete paralysis, while others found that they could walk around their houses by themselves without assistance, he added. Glasgow University professor Keith Muir, who is treating the patients, told BBC News Science Correspondent Pallab Ghosh that he was surprised by the amount of recovery in the patients. However, he also emphasized that it was too soon to determine whether or not the stem cell treatment is responsible … Continue reading →