The Cap Times reports on an advance in non-embryonic stem cell research.

UW takes 'nice step' in Lou Gehrig's disease research

By Aaron Nathans
April 19, 2005

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found a way to insert healthy neural stem cells into diseased rats, and keep those cells alive.

The researchers did not work with human embryonic stem cells, which are controversial because they are developed by destroying a human embryo. Instead, they used specialized neural stem cells that grow during the first few weeks of brain development. They are only capable of developing into brain tissue, unlike human embryonic stem cells, which have much wider application.

The challenge now, the scientists said, is to see whether the stem cells can extend the life of a rat with ALS. If that is successful, the researchers would move directly to a small human trial.

Svendsen noted that the researchers only injected rats with small amounts of the stem cells to see if the cells could stay alive and emit the protective protein. They are now putting the stem cells in larger regions in the spinal cord, Svendsen said.

So far, he said, "we have encouraging results."