修复细胞疗法为治疗多重硬化症开辟了新的道路(2)

Even  though  the  oligodendrocytes  are  damaged,  there  exists  a  reservoir  of  oligodendrocyte  precursor  cell,  or  OPCs,  left  over  from  development  that  could  be  activated  to  repair  the  damage,  he  said.  The  problem  is  how  to  trigger  them  to  grow.

"Those  are  progenitor  cells  that  will  grow  up  into  mature  cells,"  Dr.  Frohman  said.  "We  know  more  why  they  don't  grow  up."

Proteins  called  repressor  proteins  keep  the  OPCs  in  an  immature  state.  Activating  the  OPC,  however,  might  help  a  severed  or  demyelinated  nerve  in  the  central  nervous  system  become  the  target  for  repair.

Treatments  for  MS  are  difficult,  but  researchers  are  examining  the  regulation  of  the  genes  Nogo,  Lingo-1,  Jagged  and  Notch  for  potential  treatment.

The  proteins  Nogo  and  Lingo-1  appear  to  have  the  ability  to  block  nerve  cells  from  growing,  so  if  they  can  be  blocked,  the  nerve  cells  might  be  able  to  recover.

"With  the  advent  of  new  technologies,  we  have  a  much  better  understanding  of  the  events  that  occur  during  the  MS  disease  process,"  said  co-author  Dr.  Michael  Racke,  professor  of  neurology  and  in  the  Center  for  Immunology.

"In  particular,  we  will  see  a  much  greater  emphasis  on  the  molecular  events  that  occur  during  MS  and  will  likely  see  new  strategies  to  intervene  in  the  disease."  Dr.  Racke  holds  the  Lois  C.A.  and  Darwin  E.  Smith  Distinguished  Chair  in  Neurological  Mobility  Research.

Dr.  Cedric  Raine  at  the  Albert  Einstein  College  of  Medicine  was  also  an  author  of  the  review.

The  paper  was  supported  in  part  by  the  National  Multiple  Sclerosis  Society,  Once  Upon  A  Time  …,  the  Hawn  Foundation  and  the  Department  of  Health  and  Human  Services. (责任编辑：泉水)

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修复细胞疗法为治疗多重硬化症开辟了新的道路(2)