Stem Cells Benefit ALS Mice

While it is far too early to celebrate, we should note that researchers at the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine are part of a group that has found that transplanted neural stem cells slow the progress of a form of Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS) in mice. Though encouraging, because ALS has no cure, reporters are quick to point out that what works in mice may not work in humans. The study is published in Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers at multiple institutions conducted 11 independent studies to test neural stem cell transplantation in a well-established mouse model of ALS. All of them found that this cell therapy reduced the symptoms and course of the ALS-like disease. The treated mice had improved motor performance and respiratory function. The neural stem cell transplant also slowed the disease’s progression. Twenty-five percent of the treated ALS mice in this study survived for one year or more which is roughly three to four times longer than the untreated mice lived.

A major understanding that came from the study was how the neural cells worked. They did not turn into nerve cells that could replace those damaged or missing in the spinal cords of the ALS mice. Instead the cells appeared to produce protective molecules. They also triggered host cells to produce their own protective molecules. These factors helped spare host nerve cells from further destruction.