Fat stem cells used to create new nerves

Scientists at Manchester University have grown new peripheral nerves by using stem cells extracted from fat, and they are suggesting that the new therapy may be available to patients in as little as four years. Their study in Experimental Neurology demonstrates how the researchers took fat cells from rats and coaxed them to develop into nerve cells, or neurons. Now they plan to duplicate the experiment in humans, using a biodegradable sheath for the new nerve. The scientists say that the approach is particularly promising for people with damaged nerves in the arms or legs. In the UK, the therapy could apply to one in every 50,000 residents.

- read the report from the BBC

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