Author: David McNamee
Published: August 27th, 2014
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/281557.php
In this article, the author, David McNamee, talks about how scientists have recently discovered a new way to create the cells that make up the spinal cord, muscles, and the skeleton. Before, they used stem cells to grow these cells. However, these cells that are developed from stem cells are not very accurate, because they do not occur naturally. Fortunately, scientists have found a much better way to achieve this goal. The cells of bone, tissue, and nerves are formed by specific cells, called neuro-mesodermal progenitors. Although they have been discovered for over 100 years, these NMPs have just recently been realized as crucial for the development of spinal cells. After this, scientists immediately started to try to find a way to create them, and now, they have. With this new discovery, a great leap has been taken toward creating spinal cells, something that has been eluding science for years.
This article relates to our textbook because it gives an example of a way that cells can be used to replace damaged cells in order for an organism to continue to function properly. Being able to create the cells that make up parts of our body is important because when the cells of these organs get damaged, we can replace them with fresh, healthy cells to keep our bodies working properly. Our textbook also explains this on page 180.
How do scientists create spinal cells from the neuro-mesodermal progenitors?
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DeleteScientist can manipulate stem cells from rodents and humans into becoming NMPs.
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What can scientists do with these cells? Are there any medical conditions that can be helped?
ReplyDeleteScientists can use these cells to create the cells that make up the spinal cord, muscles, and the skeleton. They can then use the cells that they have created to replace the damaged cells in our bodies.
DeleteCellular damage to the spine can cause paralysis, a medical condition in which movement is impaired. The spine is made up of millions of cells that send signals to the rest of our body, which allows us to move and function as we do. When these cells are damaged, messages cannot be sent, resulting in paralysis. But if these cells were replaced with healthier cells, then the messages could continue to be sent, and our bodies would continue to function properly.