New age cure for celebral palsy and multiple sclerosis: Skin cells

Now, reproducing damaged brain cells may not be as difficult as you thought. In a new research, doctors have found a way to convert skin cells into brain cells. This technique could be a boon to those who suffer from several brain abnormalities like those suffering from multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and myelin disorders.

This breakthrough enables 'on demand' production of myelinating cells. These cells are responsible for providing an essential sheath of insulation that helps to protect neurons and enables the transmission of brain impulses to the rest of the body.

In patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), Cerebral Palsy (CP) and other rare genetic disorders like leukodystrophies, these all important myelin sheath is destroyed leading to impairment in functions. Once this sheath is destroyed it cannot be replaced.

This new technique has been described as 'cellular alchemy' by the author of this study. He explains that the process involves converting fibroblasts (a structural cell found in the skin and around most organs) into oliogodendrocytes (a cell that is responsible myelinating the neurons in the brain).

In a process called 'cellular reprogramming' the scientists manipulated three levels of proteins on the skin cells to convert them into cells that are responsible for production of myelinating cells, namely oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, or OPCs. Tesar`s team, led by Case Western Reserve researchers and co-first authors Fadi Najm and Angela Lager, rapidly generated billions of these induced OPCs (called iOPCs). Even more important, they showed that iOPCs could regenerate new myelin coatings around nerves after being transplanted to mice,a result that offers hope the technique might be used to treat human myelin disorders. Until now these myelinating cells could only be produced by fetal tissues or pluripotent stem cells, but this new technique has opened the gateway to much more research. Although this new system does have a lot of promise, it has a few limitations. One of the biggest problems scientists are facing is that they have not found a safe way to rapidly generate a safe and effective source of functional oligodendrocytes.

The initial study used mouse cells, and the next step will be to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of using human cells. If successful, the technique could prove a boon for a number of therapeutic applications.