Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy—a scientific first and a major advance for the field of regenerative medicine. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could improve current stem cell therapies designed to treat neurological disorders such as spinal cord injury, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders; and expand their use to new conditions, such as heart disease or arthritis.
“The ability to instruct a stem cell where to go in the body or to a particular region of a given organ is the Holy Grail for regenerative medicine,” says Evan Y. Snyder, M.D. Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study. “Now, for the first time ever, we can direct a stem cell to a desired location and focus its therapeutic impact.”
Nearly 15 years ago, Snyder and his team discovered that stem cells are drawn to inflammation—a biological “fire alarm” that signals damage has occurred. However, using inflammation as a therapeutic lure isn’t feasible because an inflammatory environment can be harmful to the body. Thus, scientists have been on the hunt for tools to help stem cells migrate—or “home”—to desired places in the body. This tool would be helpful for disorders in which initial inflammatory signals fade over time—such as chronic spinal cord injury or stroke—and conditions where the role of inflammation is not clearly understood, such as heart disease.
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