NEW YORK, August 23, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Although a considerable body of research suggests that stem cells from adult bone marrow can be manipulated into becoming other types of cells, media are always quick to report a setback in the potential of non-embryonic stem cells.
Reuters quotes Dr. H. David Shine of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas: “Our study suggests,” Shine says, that the transformation of bone marrow cells into brain cells is “probably not a general phenomenon.” The researchers transplanted bone marrow stem cells from one type of laboratory mouse into another and published the results in the August 23 issue of the journal Science.
However, these results are far from the final word on the potential of adult bone marrow cells in treating brain injury, Shine admits.