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Newborns’ Umbilical Cords May Provide Cells For Repairing Brains Damaged By Strokes, Alzheimer’s and Other Neurological Ills
Many experts believe that primitive tissue called stem cells will eventually be routinely used to provide human “spare parts.” They might, for example, be used to replace tissue damaged by such brain ailments as strokes and Alzheimer's disease—and these generic cells could someday be nudged to develop into all sorts of specialized tissue to repopulate every part of the body from head to toe.
Up to now, one source of stem cells has been aborted fetuses or fertility clinics' discarded embryos. However, this is proving to be progressively more and more contentious since anti-abortion groups stridently oppose fetal and embryonic stem cell research, and federally funded scientists are restricted from using stem cells from these sources.
In animal experiments, at least, cells from umbilical cords appear to greatly speed recovery after strokes. Working with a simple infusion into the blood stream without the need for direct implantation into the brain, and free of the ethical concerns surrounding the use of fetal tissue, umbilical cords discarded after birth could provide a vast new source of repair material for fixing brains damaged by strokes and other neurological ills.
Although many details remain to be worked out, Dr. Paul R. Sanberg of the University of South Florida said he hopes to try the approach on stroke victims within the next year or two. Dr. Sanberg said his research suggests that umbilical cords could be an excellent source of stem cells without the ethical headaches of fetal tissue. He noted that as many as 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, and 99% of their cord blood is tossed away. If the current approach proves useful, one or two cords could probably provide enough stem cells to treat one human stroke victim. The cells could be frozen for use when needed.
In experiments so far, Dr. Sanberg’s team removed stem cells from cords and then used retinoic acid and growth hormones to transform them into immature nerve cells. They then injected 3 million of these cells into the bloodstreams of rats that had suffered strokes. In experiments on about 60 rats, the team found that after one month, those given the cells had recovered about 80% from their strokes, compared with about 20% in untreated rats. Although the treatment works best when given within 24 hours of a stroke, Dr. Sanberg said it can still offer significant help up to a week later.
While it’s unclear just how the new cells rewire the damaged parts of the brain, it seems the cells can take on the form of distinctly different types of brain tissue, and they also appear to prompt damaged cells to repair themselves. "They are attracted to the stroke part of the brain more than the normal brain," Dr. Sanberg said. "Some signal is being sent that attracts them."
He cautioned that many questions remain, such as whether the cells should be given in several doses, how many should be infused, and whether the treatment will require suppression of the immune system, since the body might otherwise reject the foreign tissue.
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