A treasure trove of stem cells has been discovered to repair spinal injuries

A treasure trove of

, precious for the

, has been

by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London: if its existence is also confirmed in humans, it could pave the way for new strategies. of regenerative medicine to repair damage to the brain and spinal cord, as indicated by the study published in the journal Developmental Cell.

The dormant stem cells of the central nervous system are part of the so-called

that

and the

where the

is contained .

Researchers

while trying to label some immune cells in the brain.

Thanks to the collaboration with the Lisbon Institute of Molecular Medicine, they observed that in healthy mice these ependymal cells remain dormant: their task is to

by waving the cilia present on their apical surface.

, however, these cells

and begin to divide,

to the lesion where they differentiate into astrocytes, one of the main cell types of the nervous system.

These ependymal cells show all the

: they divide continuously for a long time and are able to differentiate into all three cell types of the central nervous system (ie neurons, astrocytes and oligodentrocytes).

"

, but if there were - explains Bruno Frederico of the Francis Crick Institute - it would be interesting to understand if they too differentiate into astrocytes instead of neurons in response to damage.

This may explain why the mammalian central nervous system does not have a great ability to repair itself.

If we can find a way to overcome the obstacles that prevent differentiation into neurons and oligodentrocytes, we could have new therapies to treat spinal injuries. "