A Squirt of Stem Cell Gel Heals Brain Injuries

 

Title: A Squirt of Stem Cell Gel Heals Brain Injuries
Author: Sandeep Ravindran
Website: http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/squirt-stem-cell-gel-heals-brain-injuries

Brain injured have always been one of the hardest body parts to cure. That is because brain injuries are very hard to fix. Since injured tissues swell up and can cause additional damage to the cells. Dr. Ning Zhang at Clemson University in South Carolina has created some sort of gel that can help cure the damaged injured tissues. "It has the potential to treat head injuries suffered in combat, car accidents, falls, or gunshot wounds." (Sandeep Ravindran) Since we do not have many ways to treat such damage scientists have tried inputting donor cells into the brain to replace the damaged ones. This however has not been working so well because, "The donor cells often fail to grow or stimulate repair at the injury site, possibly because of the inflammation and scarring present there. The injury site also typically has very limited blood supply and connective tissue, which might prevent donor cells from getting the nutrients they require." (Sandeep Ravindran) However the gel can be filled with chemicals that will help the donor cells get planted in the brain properly and receive the nutrients and blood needed to sustain and heal the injury. They have tested the gel on many different rats with severe causes of brain injuries and it has shown huge results. "Dr. Zhang loaded the gel with immature stem cells, as well as the chemicals they needed to develop into full-fledged adult brain cells. When rats with severe brain injuries were treated with this mixture for eight weeks, they showed signs of significant recovery." (Sandeep Ravindran) This gel might be something that will help us save many lives and the new pathway ahead. With the results we are getting now the gel might be ready to be tested on humans in about three years.