"Researchers used stem cells to discover one of the factors behind nerve cell death in Parkinson's disease, unlocking the potential for a new treatment to slow the progression of this fatal neurodegenerative disorder."

"Neuroscientists and surgeons successfully grafted human neural progenitor cells into rhesus monkeys with spinal cord injuries. The grafts not only survived, but grew hundreds of thousands of human axons and synapses, resulting in improved forelimb function in the monkeys. These findings represent a major and essential step toward future human clinical trials."

“Cerebral Palsy affects 1 out of every 300 children born in the United States...yet the list of treatment options for CP remains stubbornly short, and no cure is available. Now, a new study published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine may provide new hope for families with children born with CP using their own umbilical cord stem cells."

“Heilshorn's team was working with a particular type of stem cell that matures into neurons and other cells of the nervous system. These types of cells, if produced in sufficient quantities, could generate therapies to repair spinal cord injuries, counteract traumatic brain injury or cure some of the most severe degenerative disorders of the nervous system, like Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases."

“The next step would be to modify the hydrogel so that it would be possible to inject it into damaged brain regions,” explained Salierno. “These are the very first steps along a very ambitious path but we believe that in the near future those suffering from neuronal degeneration will benefit from our discovery.”

"Repair or regeneration of damaged nerves is still a challenging clinical task in reconstructive surgeries and regenerative medicine. Here, it is demonstrated that periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) and gingival mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) isolated from adult human periodontal and gingival tissues assume neuronal phenotype in vitro and in vivo via a subcutaneous transplantation model in nude mice."

"Bone marrow and umbilical cords are rich sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), which normally produce the tissues of the skeletal, muscle and circulatory systems. Evidence suggests that MSCs can migrate to the brain and improve the function of the brain following injury with the help of its strong self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation abilities. These cells can be induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells and glial cells."

"The treatment involves using lower-dose chemotherapy to kill the white blood cells that are responsible for attacking nerve fibres, and then rebooting the immune system using stem cells collected from the patient before treatment began."

"Australia has been chosen to host a world-first trial of revolutionary stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. The trial, by the Californian-based International Stem Cell Corporation, will be held at the Royal Melbourne Hospital."

"According to Niknejad, at the moment using cell therapy for treating Parkinson’s disease has achieved positive results on a rat and a monkey, showing complete recovery in the brains of these two animals with Parkinson’s disease."

"Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan are teaming with Harvard to advance stem cell brain repair research. Meaghan Craig tells us it’s hoped this cutting-edge work can eventually serve to help people with other brain diseases."

"The researchers concluded that "MDPSCs can contribute to peripheral nerve regeneration by the secretion of neurotrophic and angiogenic factors (factors that promote the formation of new blood vessels) when in close proximity to newly migrated Schwann cells" by regulating their apoptosis (programmed cell death) capability and proliferation."

"An implant of stem cells treated with an anti-cancer drug has been found to be effective against Parkinson's symptoms in mice. The findings published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience could be an important step toward using the implantation of stem cell-generated neurons as a treatment for Parkinson's disease in humans."

"A new method of generating mature nerve cells from skin cells could greatly enhance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, and could accelerate the development of new drugs and stem cell-based regenerative medicine."