Stem cells may help treat spinal cord injuries

Scientists have successfully used stem cells for the first time to promote regeneration after injury to a specialized band of spinal cord nerve fibres that are important for motor function. Researchers from Hokkaido University in Japan together with an international team of scientists implanted specialized embryonic stem cells into the severed spinal cords of rats. The stem cells, called neural progenitor cells, were taken from rat embryos and directed to develop as spinal cord tissue. The success of the current trial, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, is promising for the future treatment of humans with severe spinal cord injuries, researchers said. But much work remains to be done before it can be translated into clinical treatments, they said.