Health & Medicine
Dental Pulp Stem Cells Help Regenerate Retinal Ganglion Cells following Injury
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Jul 07, 2014 11:29 AM EDT
By isolating stem cells from teeth, researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, have found that dental pulp cells can actually help protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from death following injury. They can even promote regeneration of axons along the optic nerve.
As RGC loss is the leading cause of blindness, it can arise from traumatic injury or certain degenerative diseases, such as glaucoma. Certain neurotrophic factors (NTFs) travel along the axon of a neuron to the cell body and work as a survival signal that prevents the health issue. However, when injury or disease result, the cell supply is lost and the RGCs die. For those dealing with a related health-problem, supplementation of injured RGC can work as an alternative source for NTFs and protecting them from death.
"Cell therapy is a promising treatment option as it provides a potentially limitless source of multiple growth factors for injured neurons", said lead study author Ben Mead of the university, in a news release."For clinical application, comparisons with other stem cells as well as development of safe delivery mechanisms are to be investigated in the future."
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the article "Dental pulp stem cells, a paracrine-mediated therapy for the retina," via the journal Neural Regeneration Research.
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First Posted: Jul 07, 2014 11:29 AM EDT
By isolating stem cells from teeth, researchers from the University of Birmingham, UK, have found that dental pulp cells can actually help protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from death following injury. They can even promote regeneration of axons along the optic nerve.
As RGC loss is the leading cause of blindness, it can arise from traumatic injury or certain degenerative diseases, such as glaucoma. Certain neurotrophic factors (NTFs) travel along the axon of a neuron to the cell body and work as a survival signal that prevents the health issue. However, when injury or disease result, the cell supply is lost and the RGCs die. For those dealing with a related health-problem, supplementation of injured RGC can work as an alternative source for NTFs and protecting them from death.
"Cell therapy is a promising treatment option as it provides a potentially limitless source of multiple growth factors for injured neurons", said lead study author Ben Mead of the university, in a news release."For clinical application, comparisons with other stem cells as well as development of safe delivery mechanisms are to be investigated in the future."
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the article "Dental pulp stem cells, a paracrine-mediated therapy for the retina," via the journal Neural Regeneration Research.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone