Scientists identify cells for spinal-cord repair

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Coronal sections of injured adult spinal cord anterior to posterior. The labelling shows recombined ependymal cells and their progeny (white) migrating out to the injury area in the dorsal funiculus as a reponse to the injury (injury is in the image ...
Coronal sections of injured adult spinal cord, anterior to posterior. The labelling shows recombined ependymal cells and their progeny (white) migrating out to the injury area in the dorsal funiculus, as a reponse to the injury (injury is in the image on the right hand corner). The mouse is a FoxJ1-CreER x R26R-LacZ reporter. Image / Konstantinos Meletis
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A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries.


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