Chinese scientists have used electric fields to direct neural stem cells to treat brain damage for the first time
Neural stem cells (green label)
Neural stem cell transplants may be used to treat brain damage, but how to get them to the right place?
Regeneration at the university of California, Davis school of medicine in the treatment of Dr Zhao and yan chai hospital, Shanghai institute of neurosurgeons Feng Junfeng recently in stem cell reports published articles, article mentioned that they can use the electric field guide stem cell transplant to a specific location in the brain of rats (pictured above, green for neural stem cells), their research for the open potential of stem cells to repair brain damage.
The paper reports a strategy to mobilize and guide stem cell migration in rats. Researchers have developed a safe, stimulating way to provide directional current in the brain. By tracking cells expressing green fluorescent protein, the movement and guidance of human neural stem cells were observed.
The potential migration ability of neural stem cells in vitro
Dr. Zhao has been working on how electric fields can guide stem cells to help heal wounds. Because damaged tissue produces weak fields, studies have shown how these electric fields can attract cells to the wound to heal them.
Dr Zhao said: "a long-term unmet needs in regenerative medicine is how to effectively mobilize and guide stem cells migrate to safely to repair the lesion site. These cells to lesions of inefficient migration is one of the important obstacles to develop effective clinical application."
Natural neural stem cells are found in the deep part of the brain, in the lower part of the brain and in the hippocampus. To repair damage to the cortex, they must move some distance, especially in adults. The transplanted stem cells need to be migrated to find a damaged area.
The electric field directs the neural stem cells to move in the brain of the rat
Dr Zhao and his colleague, yan chai hospital neurosurgeons from Shanghai jiaotong university, Shanghai institute of brain trauma, neurosurgeons Feng Junfeng to jointly develop the stem cell transplantation model of rats. They placed human neural stem cells in the rostral migration stream, a way of carrying cells toward olfactory bulbs in the brains of rats. The cells move along the path, partly by the fluid of the cerebrospinal fluid, and partly by chemical signals.
By applying electric fields in the brains of rats, scientists found that they could move the transplanted stem cells and move them elsewhere in the brain.
The stem cells are in the imagination for a long time
And the transplanted stem cells are still in a new position months after treatment.
"Using the electric field traction of stem cells in the brain will promote stem cell therapy as a potential cure for brain diseases, such as stroke and injury," Dr. Zhao said.
Professor Zhao min is a researcher at the institute of regenerative medicine at the university of California, Davis, and a leading expert in the field of regenerative biology. Zhao min, a professor of a paper published in Nature, for the first time put forward electrical signals mediated the trauma of regeneration is one of the most important mechanism of wound repair, 12 big discovery in 2006 is listed as one of the world biological field and 100 big news events of the year. Chinese scientists, zhao has been voted the UK the Top 20 in 2001 by the British parliament voted Top Young scientists (Top Young Scientist), the Wellcome Trust University award in 1999, by the ministry of health of the People's Republic of China in 1993 as the first star of medical science and technology. The current national natural science foundation committee overseas judge, "changjiang scholar" overseas judges, Britain, the United States, Ireland, South Africa, the Netherlands national research fund judges.
Feng Junfeng, male, m.d., Ph.D., Shanghai yan chai hospital neurosurgery doctor, associate professor, supervisor of postgraduate, craniocerebral trauma, director of the institute of Shanghai assistant, health system in Shanghai in 2013 "new youth". In 2005, he was a doctoral student in Shanghai jiaotong university. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the university of California (UCDavis) from 2008 to 2012. He focused on neurosurgery and neuro-repairing research. After returning to China, he was joined by the most famous and leading specialty group in the neurosurgery department of yan zi. As clinical backbone, especially good at critical clinical treatment of craniocerebral injury and nerves, including the brain injury, cerebral hemorrhage, large area cerebral infarction in the emergency treatment, the water on the brain, skull defect, subdural hematoma, etc. To carry out the individualized, intensification of surgery, patients with neurological intensive and comprehensive treatment of comatose patients and so on. At the same time, leading the research team to carry out the research on the protection of nerve injury and the restoration of regeneration, the national natural science foundation has been responsible for 2 articles and 11 English papers.
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