Fat Stem Cells Morphed Into Nerve Cells

Adult stem cell research just keeps rolling along. Now, scientists have morphed fat stem cells into nerve cells. From the story:

Accident victims could one day have their severed nerves “rewired” with the help of stem cells extracted by liposuction.

University of Manchester researchers have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells – and now plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and organs back to life. If all goes well, trials on the first patients could begin in “three or four years,” said Prof Giorgio Terenghi.

This is very early work, of course, and success is not guaranteed. But it is clear that embryonic stem cells and cloning are not the “only hope” for people with spinal cord injury and other nerve-related maladies.