Transforming ordinary skin cells into brain cells

In a study published in the US journal Nature Biotechnology on April 14, a group of American scientists said they had succeeded in directly transforming normal skin cells into a type of brain cell that is often destroyed in patients with multiple sclerosis.

According to a research team from Case Western Reserve University, the above research has helped realize the creation of myelinating cells, the unit responsible for producing the protective sheath of neurons, thereby helping the process of transmitting commands from the brain to the body to take place smoothly and the body to function normally.

Illustration photo.

In experiments conducted on mice, scientists directly transformed fibroblasts - a type of structural cell found in human skin and organs - into oligodendrocytes - the unit that produces the myelin layer that covers neurons in the brain.

Paul Tesar, an expert in genetics and genetic sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the study's leader, calls the process "cellular alchemy," in which his team uses readily available normal cells as raw materials to transform them into a cell type that is highly valuable for treating disease.

The team said they succeeded in creating billions of reconstructed oligodendrocytes from fibroblasts and then regenerating the myelin covering around nerves transplanted into mice.

When oligodendrocytes are damaged or malfunction, the myelin layer covering the nerve cells is lost, causing disturbances in body function.

The treatment for this condition is to regenerate the myelin layer through the replacement of oligodendrocytes, which can only be obtained from newborn tissue or stem cells in the spinal cord.

This method is quite effective but also has many limitations.

If the new experiment can be successfully applied to human treatment, it will open up hope for treatment for patients with myelin disorders./.

According to (TTXVN) - VT