Stem cell control mechanism could be key in neurological diseases

A mechanism that controls the dissemination of the brain's stem cells could play a key role in neurological diseases and the creation of therapies to treat them.

This is the finding of a new study at Columbia University Medical Centre, which claims a molecular pathway that manages the retention and release of cells offers new insights into normal and abnormal brain development.

According to authors, the findings also have the potential to improve brain injury treatment and contribute to a growing body of research that claims stem cells "reside in specialised niches, or microenvironments, that support and maintain them".

Dr Antonio Larvarone, lead co-author of the study, commented: "We knew that when stem cells detach from their niche, they lose their identity as stem cells and begin to differentiate into specific cell types."

However, the study has furthered the understanding of this process, by showing how stem cells depend on the regulatory mechanism to form their identity.

Understanding how cells develop and are released is also key to the development of therapies for an array of other conditions, including cancer.

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